Saturday February 23, 2008
Iran president says nuclear report a victory
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday a U.N. watchdog report on Iran's nuclear programme was a victory over the West, which accuses Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report on Friday that Iran was being more transparent about its nuclear programme but was not doing enough to clear up all suspicions.
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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attends a meeting with foreign ambassadors to commemorate the anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, in this February 10, 2008 file photo. (REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/Files) |
The IAEA also said it had confronted Iran for the first time with Western intelligence reports showing work linked to making atomic bombs and that Tehran had failed to provide satisfactory answers.
Responding to the report, Iranian officials and media have focused on what the IAEA said about areas where suspicions have been cleared up, which they call a victory, with little mention of other aspects of the report where doubts remain.
The United States, which is leading efforts to isolate Iran, said the report was a good reason to impose more U.N. sanctions. Britain and France have said they hope U.N. Security Council will vote next week on a third set of penalties.
"(The president) congratulated the leader and the Iranian nation for the historical victory of the Iranian nation in the nuclear issue in the biggest political confrontation with domineering powers after the victory of the Islamic revolution," Iranian state television reported.
In his first comments on the report, Ahmadinejad was addressing his congratulations to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has the final say in all matters of state, including nuclear policy.
Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to master technology to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies insisting its efforts are aimed at generating electricity so that it can preserve more of its huge oil and gas resources for export.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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