BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 13. Iran has no intention of changing its defense doctrine concerning its nuclear issue, said the country’s Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeed Iravani, Trend reports.
In his address during a closed session of the UN Security Council, Iravani emphasized that Iran’s nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and will remain so. Iran firmly rejects the development of any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, considering them a real threat to international security.
Iravani further noted that Iran is resolute in its use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He stated that no country can deny Iran its undeniable and natural right to use nuclear technology for peaceful aims.
The Iranian diplomat also mentioned that, for resolving the nuclear issue and the matters raised against Iran, Iran has always considered diplomacy and discussions as the most reliable direction and has remained committed to this principle. Unfortunately, he said, some countries continue to rely on threats, coercion, and economic pressure in an attempt to force Iran into submission.
To note, the UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Iran's increase in highly enriched uranium on March 12. France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, the UK, and the US have requested this meeting.
On March 3, Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the IAEA, mentioned during the IAEA Board of Governors' meeting that Iran has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity by 93 kilograms, from 182 kilograms to 275 kilograms compared to the previous quarter. Iran remains the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to this level, raising significant concerns.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20–30 percent.
Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.
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