Islamic Iran President: Iran Needs No N. Weapons

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Tehran’s opposition to the acquisition of military nuclear capability, stressing that his country does not need nuclear weapons.
“Iran is among the few countries in the world that all their [nuclear] activities are under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and when it has declared that it is not after producing nuclear weapons, it really does not plan to do so,” the Iranian president stated.

“We believe if someone is after nuclear weapons at this era is not right in the head,” Ahmadinejad pointed out.

“People who say Iran is moving toward the production of nuclear weapons are not Western scientists; they are Western politicians,” Ahmadinejad said in interview with Euronews tv channel on Wednesday.

The president said Iran’s production of 20-percent enriched uranium is for purely peaceful purposes and is used to produce radio medicines.

“Twenty percent is good for nothing else…it can only be used for medicine and agriculture,” he stated.

The president further scoffed at attempts by some Western powers to expand their nuclear arsenals.

Ahmadinejad argued that nuclear arms not only are against humanity but also endanger those countries who wield such weapons more than other nations.

“The nuclear bomb is no use anymore,” he added, recalling Israel’s failure to achieve its goals in the 22-day Gaza war in December 2008-January 2009, and its heavy losses in the 2006 war against Lebanon despite the nuclear warheads Tel Aviv possesses.

Nuclear bombs did not save the former Soviet Union from collapse, Ahmadinejad said and described nuclear weapons as a factor that would give its wielder the upper hand in political equations more than 60 years ago.

He stressed that nuclear weapons are of no use today, noting, “Today, thoughts and humans are the factors that can affect the global equations.”

“We believe that no one will be able to use the nuclear bomb in the future. It is finished,” he concluded.

Iran, an NPT-signatory, has repeatedly called for the removal of all weapons of mass destruction from across the globe.

The UN General Assembly approved a draft resolution proposed by Iran on nuclear disarmament in October amid strong opposition by the US, Britain, France, Israel and a number of western countries.

The resolution ratified in the first committee of the UN General Assembly calls on all nuclear countries to annihilate their nuclear weapons under the supervision of international bodies.

More than 100 countries, including non-nuclear members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), voted for the resolution.

The resolution also urges Israel to join the NPT and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear installations.

Also in pursuit of global nuclear disarmament, Tehran held a conference on nuclear disarmament on April 18-19, 2010, with officials from different world countries in attendance.

During the two-day conference, world officials and politicians put their heads together to address issues and concerns in connection with nuclear disarmament.

Foreign ministers, representatives and nuclear experts from 60 world countries participated in the event to discuss challenges on nuclear disarmament, countries’ commitment to nuclear dismantlement and disarmament and aftermaths of inaction in the destruction of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).