Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), considers that Iran is developing a nuclear program, which aims to produce nuclear weapons.
In an interview to BBC commentator Jeremy Bowen, ElBaradei said: the attitude towards the countries possessing and not possessing nuclear weapons in the world is different.
For example, he said, North Korea, which has an atomic bomb, is invited to the negotiating table, but Iraq, which does not have such a bomb, was "grinded into dust".
The head of the IAEA called on to negotiate with Tehran in order to explain to it the needlessness of creating a nuclear bomb. "Intuition tells me that Iran needs nuclear technology in order to be able to produce nuclear weapons," ElBaradei said.
"[Tehran] wants to explain to its neighbors and the world: it does not need to quarrel with us. But as I understand, the final aim of Iran is to be recognized as the main force in the Middle East - said ElBaradei. - For Iran it is a way to gain recognition, enhance power and prestige. In addition, in this way, the Iranian regime is trying to protect itself from external attacks."
According ElBaradei, the greatest threat to the international community is presented by the prospect of falling of nuclear weapons into the hands of extremist groups. In this case, he believes that the nuclear weapons will be just a deterrent no longer.
He said that the only way to ensure a secure future is to conduct large-scale disarmament of existing nuclear powers, in the arsenal which there are a total of 27,000 warheads.