Posted on 09/22/2004 12:34:08 PM PDT by yonif
TEHERAN (AP) – President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday called on the international community to recognize Iran's right to enrich uranium, once again insisting that Iran will pursue a nuclear program some suspect is aimed at developing weapons.
"We clearly demand that our right to enrichment be recognized by the international community because it is our legal right and in accordance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty," Khatami told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. "If it does so, it will open the way for greater cooperation," he said.
The United States and many nonproliferation experts believe Iran is covertly developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is strictly for the generation of electricity.
Wednesday, Khatami again warned that Iran will continue its nuclear program even if it means ending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.
As a member of the IAEA, Iran allows supervision to ensure its nuclear programs are peaceful. Under international pressure last year, Iran agreed to a more aggressive inspection regime.
The IAEA demanded last weekend that Iran freeze uranium enrichment and all related activities, such as the building of centrifuges and reprocessing uranium, within two months. Failure to do so could lead to the IAEA's passing Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions.
Shrugging off IAEA demands, Iran said Tuesday that it had started converting tons of raw uranium into hexaflouride gas, part of technology that could be used to make nuclear arms.
Iranian officials have denounced as "illegal" demands by the IAEA that Iran cease its uranium enrichment program, a process that can produce fuel for both nuclear power stations and nuclear weapons.
I will support you. With a NUKE up your A$$!
Iran -- another fine power-hungry dictatorship that like any cancer, needs to be cut out. Along with their nuclear weapons program. Again, the UN will be totally impotent and complicit on this one as well.
Someone in the State Department should inform Iran to remember, you mess up and explode one and your country will be a new inland sea.
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