Iran Will Never Discontinue Its Peaceful Nuclear Program
Al-Watan wrote that reports about the U.S. decision to impose economic sanctions on Iran, particularly on the oil industry, have drawn strong reactions in Tehran.
Iranian political analysts said that the recent events were quite predictable and have been frequently discussed by Iranian officials over the past several years.
Iranian Foreign Ministry sources told Al-Watan that the issue of sanctions on Iran is not a new issue created by White House hawks, adding that sanctions on Iran could have an effect on other countries.
The Japanese hesitation about investing in Iran’s Azadegan oilfield is evidence of this fact.
The Azadegan field is one of the biggest oilfields in the world, containing up to 100 billion barrels in reserves according to estimates.
The sources said that this second attempt to impose sanctions on Iran proves that the policy failed in the past, even though the U.S. is discussing it again.
The officials believe that Iranian authorities will not respond quickly to the bill and will not let this issue become an internal dispute, as was the case with the additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Al-Watan quoted the Iranian officials as saying that Iran will never discontinue its nuclear program, which is meant for peaceful purposes, and has no intention to produce nuclear weapons.
The sources rejected reports that there are internal disputes in Iran on the nuclear issue, adding that some members of Iran’s conservative faction believe that Iran should sign the additional protocol to the NPT but some reformists are against signing it, saying that it is an issue of Iran’s national interests and has nothing to do with factionalism.
Iran has not yet made a final decision on signing the additional protocol to the NPT, the officials told Al-Watan.
The sources also said Iranian Foreign Minister Kharrazi’s planned trip to Saudi Arabia has been postponed.
The officials said Kharrazi planned to discuss several issues with Saudi officials such as international threats to Iran, the IAEA resolution, and Islamic countries’ positions on these issues on the threshold of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting, adding that the OIC must make certain decisions about Iran, Iraq, and the threats that Saudi Arabia faces from the U.S., otherwise it would only prove that it is weak and ineffective.
Al-Watan added that Iran will present its case at the OIC meeting and try to gain Islamic countries’ support as a means to reduce the international pressure being imposed on it.