TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency)— Sadeq Noureddine, a member of the editorial board of the Lebanese daily Al-Safir, said that the arrest of Iranian documentary filmmakers by U.S. forces in Iraq clearly illustrates the duplicity of the United States, which claims it attacked Iraq in support of freedom and democracy. Noureddine, in a phone call with the Mehr News Agency, condemned U.S. military forces in Iraq for killing many correspondents and arresting the Iranian documentary filmmakers, saying, "This act is certainly unacceptable and should be condemned strongly. No journalist accepts the fact that journalists and filmmakers be put under pressure in their mission. This proves the false claims of the U.S. about seeking freedom for the Iraqi nation as well as supporting democracy and freedom because they attacked Iraq in the name of democracy." He added, "I am deeply saddened about the arrest of the Iranian filmmakers and ask the entire international community to put pressure on the U.S. to set them free and prevent such actions against journalists and correspondents."

Responding to a question about what should be done to prevent the repetition of such actions by the U.S., he pointed out that all mass media around the world should stand against such acts of the U.S. and should ask the U.S. mass media to pressure their government not to impose restrictions on journalists, adding that all international correspondents should urge their colleagues in the U.S. to participate.

He went on to say that developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is the natural right of the Iranian nation. He strongly criticized the double standards that the U.S. and Europe are applying in this issue and regretted the fact that they are not putting pressure on the Zionist regime. Asked about how he would assess the fact that the U.S. and Europe are pressuring Iran about its nuclear program but not putting any pressure on the Zionist regime, which possesses a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons, Noureddine said, "In my opinion, access to nuclear technology for progress and development is the natural right of the Iranian nation and the U.S. madness should not be an obstacle to Iranians acquiring their right." He added, "I am sure Iran is a powerful country with a determined nation that can develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes without dependence on others, and no power can prevent them from realizing this right."