The Hindu : International : Iran vows to develop nuclear technology

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005

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International

Iran vows to develop nuclear technology

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, FEB. 7. Iran has said that it was committed to acquiring nuclear technology and would retaliate if attacked by the United States or Israel.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rowhani, said that the West was incapable of paralysing his country's nuclear programme.

Israel and the United States have said that they would not be ready to accept Iran, if armed with nuclear weapons. The European Union has been urging Teheran to terminate activities related to uranium enrichment.

"Invulnerable to attack"

Mr. Rowhani, who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Teheran was "invulnerable" to attacks as it had the ability to produce nuclear parts, which it would use to rebuild whatever was destroyed. "If such an attack takes place, then of course, we will retaliate and we will definitely accelerate our activities to complete our fuel cycle and make nuclear fuel," he said.

"I do not think the United States itself will take such a risk ... they know our capabilities for retaliating against such attacks", he said.

Mr. Rowhani made it categorical that neither the offer of lifting of U.S. sanctions nor security guarantees from Washington would persuade it to abandon it enrichment programme. "Uranium enrichment is Iran's right," he said.

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