TEHRAN -- Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called on the international community to take a rational approach toward Iran’s nuclear dossier.

“The Islamic Republic has taken the necessary steps to boost international confidence about its peaceful nuclear program,” Rafsanjani said in a meeting with the Singaporean Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong here on Tuesday.

The Singaporean minister said that using nuclear energy for civilian purposes is Iran’s right.

Rafsanjani also said that improving ties with Singapore, which is a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), is important to Iran.

Improving relations with Iran and other important states in the Middle East is on the agenda of Singapore’s foreign policy, Goh stated.