Iran’s nuclear activities, scientific in nature: Cleric

Tehran’s interim Friday Prayers leader says the Iranian nuclear energy program is only meant for scientific purposes and the country does not seek to produce nuclear weapons.

“As the [Leader of the Islamic Revolution] Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said and other Iranian officials have reiterated, the work done in the field of nuclear energy [in Iran] is not meant for making nuclear weapons,” Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani said.

“These activities are [only] for scientific purposes; you must realize and believe this,” he added, addressing member states of the P5+1 – the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany.

Iran and the P5+1 are set to start a new round of multifaceted negotiations about various topics including the Iranian nuclear energy program in the Turkish port city of Istanbul on Saturday.

Tehran’s interim Friday Prayers leader urged the P5+1 to take into account the mass participation of Iranians in the ninth Majlis election in March as well as the unity of the nation and the country’s scientific prowess in all fields.

Emami-Kashani went on to stress the importance of trade, industry, and production in the country, saying, “Everyone must enjoy their lives. There should be jobs in society, [and] the youth should be able to marry and have good living and housing conditions; therefore, production is important,” he added.

Tehran’s interim Friday Prayers added that the meaning of the Islamic establishment is that resources must be protected, workers must work, and labor must be supported.

“Honest investors must invest in order to serve the country and benefit from its profits. Jobs must be promoted qualitatively and quantitatively and everyone at any level should [be able to] lead a clean life,” he said.