Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

   

Moqaddam Says Iran Opposed to Development, Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

 

Senior MP Strongly Rejects Foreign Media Fabrication about Iran's N. Capability

April 7, 2012,

TEHRAN (FNA)-

Senior Iranian legislator Gholam Reza Mesbahi Moqaddam categorically rejected foreign media fabrication of his remarks about Iran's peaceful nuclear program, and said Tehran is strongly opposed to the development and proliferation of nuclear arms.

"Nuclear weapons have no room in the Islamic Republic's military doctrine and we never need the production and use of nuclear weapons," Mesbahi Moqaddam told FNA on Saturday, reacting to the US and Israeli as well as other foreign media fabrication of his earlier comments about Iran's nuclear capabilities.

"I firmly declare that the Islamic Republic of Iran is in no way after producing, stockpiling or using nuclear weapons," he stressed.

"A nation which can pursue its goals by its scientific and political power as well as innovative capabilities, creativity, unity and integrity and does not intend to make aggression against any (other) country, does not need nuclear weapons," Mesbahi Moqaddam reminded.

"I refuse anything stated or quoted from me in opposition to the aforementioned," he reiterated.

Mesbahi Moqaddam referred to the positions adopted by the high-ranking Iranian officials against nuclear weapons, and concluded, "Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and as this nation's and Muslims' grand religious authority has issued a Fatwa that production of nuclear weapons is Haram (religiously forbidden) and no one will ever transgress his Fatwa."

Foreign media in fabricated reports had quoted Mesbahi Moqaddam as saying that Iran has the knowledge and scientific capability to produce nuclear weapons but will never do so.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

Tehran has dismissed West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue the path.

The Islamic Republic says that it considers its nuclear case closed as it has come clean of IAEA's questions and suspicions about its past nuclear activities.

Political observers believe that the United States has remained at loggerheads with Iran mainly over the independent and home-grown nature of Tehran's nuclear technology, which gives the Islamic Republic the potential to turn into a world power and a role model for the other third-world countries. Washington has laid much pressure on Iran to make it give up the most sensitive and advanced part of the technology, which is uranium enrichment, a process used for producing nuclear fuel for power plants.

Senior MP: Turkey Excluded from List of Hosts for Iran-G5+1 Meeting

April 7, 2012, TEHRAN (FNA)-

A senior Iranian legislator reiterated the close interaction between Tehran and Ankara on different political and international issues, but meantime said that Turkey has been excluded from the list of the possible hosts for the upcoming meeting between Iran and the world powers.

"It seems that the Islamic Republic no more considers Turkey as an option (for hosting the talks with the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany)," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Zohreh Elahian told FNA on Saturday.

She underlined that the decision was taken after Turkey recently hosted a conference against Syria, and also the negative positions taken by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Syria.

Elahian said that Iran expects Turkey, as a Muslim country, to take independent decisions since the Islamic Republic is eager to continue its good relations and interactions with Ankara.

In relevant remarks earlier this week, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi had also said that the conference held in Istanbul on developments in Syria served the interests of the Zionist regime of Israel and the West.

The Istanbul conference served the interests of the Zionist regime and promotion of civil and sectarian war in the region, Vahidi told Arabi-Press News website on Wednesday.

He criticized the participants in the conference for not condemning terrorist attacks in Syria and avoiding support for the reforms initiated by the Syrian government.

Lawmaker Deplores Turkish PM's Remarks on Iran

April 7, 2012, TEHRAN (FNA)-

A prominent Iranian lawmaker criticized Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his insulting remarks on Iran, and described Erdogan's insincere stance on Iran as "a great mistake".

"Erdogan is committing a great mistake regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran and he is still having links with Israel," Member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Ebrahimi told FNA.

He pointed to the NATO missile defense shield in Turkey and Erdogan's remarks that it is not a threat to Iran, and said, "That signifies Erdogan's lack of sincerity because the missile (shield) is against Iran."

The remarks by Ebrahimi came after the Turkish Prime Minister said on Thursday that Iran's proposal to hold talks next week with the six world powers in Damascus or Baghdad instead of Istanbul was insincere.

"The offer going round at the moment, Damascus or Baghdad, is a waste of time, it means it won't happen, because they know the other side won't come to Damascus or Baghdad," Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara.

Iran's political circles and figures have recently increased their demands for changing the venue of the Iran-G5+1 talks from Istanbul to another Asian city.

Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that Iraq is a "suitable" option for the next round of talks between Iran and the six world powers since Baghdad enjoys good ties with both negotiating parties.

The last meeting between the two sides took place in Istanbul in January 2011. Iran and the G5+1 had also held two rounds of multifaceted talks in Geneva in December 2010.