Iran Press Throws Down Nuclear Gauntlet

BBC Monitoring:

Newspapers in Iran are in defiant mood as the country's officials appear before the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna to explain Tehran's insistence in pursuing its nuclear programme, in defiance of the US and European Union. READ MORE

Iran's right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is widely upheld, and some papers advocate the country's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT] should the issue be referred to the UN Security Council.

Kayhan

The Majlis [parliament] should ratify and oblige the government to pull out from the NPT immediately without any more negotiations if Iran's dossier is sent to the UN Security Council [UNSC]. Withdrawing from the NPT and resuming uranium enrichment is only the first step, while Iran considers other steps like its influential role in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Persian Gulf, Lebanon, Palestine and the oil market.

Jomhuri-ye Eslami

The Secretary General of Iran's Supreme Council of National Security has announced that Iran will pull out from the NPT if Iran's case is sent to the UNSC. It shows how Iranians are determined to defend their legitimate rights and will make others understand that Iran has decided to develop its nuclear capacity and this [withdrawal from the NPT] is only the first step.

E'temaad

The first point that [President] Ahmadinezhad stressed is Iran's unwillingness to achieve the production of atomic weapons; what Iran's supreme leader [Ali Khamenei] has called a red line that must not be crossed. However achieving the technology of peaceful atomic energy is also another red line that cannot be ignored by anyone in the country.

Siyasat-e-Ruz

America and its allies should accept the reality. Iran is a powerful country that has developed its atomic technology by relying solely on its own scientists, and has not asked the help of any country. So it is Iran's legitimate right to enjoy its peaceful atomic energy like other atomic powers such as Russia, France, and Pakistan.

Aftab-e-Yazd

All Iranian officials are now in agreement that Iran's nuclear dossier is at a very sensitive stage. The only way of reducing threats is to rely on the people's support, and that requires certain conditions. The people should be informed clearly what are the problems faced by Iran.

Resalat

The American-North Korea agreement over Korea's nuclear issue will put more psychological pressure on Iran, but the nature of Korea's problem is totally different. Iran has clearly announced that it is not seeking atomic weapons.