Iran rejects seeking nuclear weapons as IAEA visit looms
Sunday, 20 Apr 2008 11:38
Iran insists its nuclear programme is for energy generation purposes only
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Iran has rejected claims that it is seeking nuclear weapons and reiterated that it only has a nuclear programme for peaceful purposes.
The spokesman for the country's foreign ministry, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said British prime minister Gordon Brown and US president George Bush's public commitments to prevent the country acquiring nuclear capabilities were based on false claims.
The statement comes after Mr Brown's commitment to support the US during his recent visit to Washington and ahead of a visit by the deputy head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Olli Heinonen to Tehran.
The official IRNA news agency reports Mr Hosseini saying that Iran had normalised relations with the nuclear watchdog and that the meeting was a "normal" visit aimed at improving cooperation.
He said: "The main axis of Heinonen's visit to Tehran will be Iran-IAEA cooperation."
The United Nations security council has passed three rounds of sanctions on the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme and has urged the country to stop enriching uranium.
Iran insists that its programme is for energy generation purposes only and that it does not seek to build a bomb.