IRAN DETERMINED TO CONTINUE NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said on 23 April in his weekly press conference in Tehran that the Islamic Republic will not reverse course on uranium enrichment or its other nuclear activities, Radio Farda and state television reported. “We are determined not to forfeit our rights,” he said. “The [nuclear] research will continue. The issue of suspension is not on the agenda. The issue is irreversible, be it for one hour, one minute, or one second. It is irreversible.” He added that no agreement has been reached regarding Moscow’s proposal that Iran enrich uranium on Russian soil, and he complained that great powers are pressuring the International Atomic Energy Agency to judge the Iranian nuclear program negatively. The previous day, Assefi noted Western support for the monarchy’s nuclear efforts and complained of double standards, IRNA reported. He ascribed Western opposition to hostility to Iran’s independence, and added, “They say because Iran is a defendant of Palestinian rights and…oppressed nations, it should not have access to nuclear technology.”