Iranian President Muhammad Khatami said on Wednesday that Iran has no intention of giving up its nuclear program, although he added that Iran is opposed to producing nuclear weapons.
Khatami was speaking at a gathering of foreign ambassadors, attaches and representatives of international organizations in Tehran marking the 26th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
“We are determined to make progress in all scientific fields including nuclear technology,” Khatami said, according to the official state-run news agency IRNA.
He said no Iranian government has the right to move in the opposite direction of the country’s scientific and technological progress or deprive people of peaceful use of
nuclear technology.
Iranian state television reported that Khatami said Iran may adopt a “different policy” if talks with officials did not yield results. He said this policy will have “heavy consequences” on those who have not respected their engagements.
Iran has come under international pressure to suspend its nuclear activities for fear that it is developing nuclear weapons. Tehran has agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment while it negotiates with the Europeans. European officials are offering trade deals and other incentives if Iran dissolves nuclear activity which could be used for weapons. However, Iran is not halting enrichment altogether.
Iran claims its nuclear activity is for peaceful purposes only.