‘Iran being wrongfully accused by nuclear-armed parties’

Iran says it is being wrongfully accused of pursuing a military nuclear program by parties who themselves have stockpiles brimming with nuclear weapons.

Referring to the allegations, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a group of media executives in New York on Monday, “Those who raise the claim…today have stockpiles full of nuclear weapons.”

“This is while if they are concerned about the international security, they should eliminate their bombs,” he added.

The US and Israel have repeatedly threatened to take military action against Iran in order to force the Islamic Republic to halt its uranium enrichment program, which Washington and Tel Aviv claim includes a military component.

Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but has never found any evidence showing that the Islamic Republic’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

Referring to the United States losing “valuable opportunities” to discuss the matter with the Islamic Republic, Ahmadinejad said, “Today, Iran’s nuclear case has lost its legal and technical aspects turning into a political one and one characterized by [the US] obstinacy.”

“[The US] cannot create any new opportunities for itself through [wrongful] persistence and obstinacy [now either].”

He reiterated that Tehran is not after nuclear weapons and said, “Currently [as before], Iran’s nuclear activities are [being carried out] under the IAEA supervision and this [supervision] can continue.”