TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham on Thursday refuted a claim by the U.S. secretary of state that Iran was on the verge of building an atomic bomb, calling it a “big lie”.

In a speech in Philadelphia on Wednesday John Kerry claimed that Iran has previously come within months of being able to build a nuclear weapon and under the nuclear deal that would not be possible.

“The U.S. officials are used to make unfounded and exaggerated remarks on Iran’s nuclear program under the pressure of the Zionist lobbies,” Afkham said.

According to Iran’s defense doctrine and fatwa issued by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the country has never sought atomic bomb and will not, she noted.

She also said that Iran’s diplomacy “proved the inefficiency of the sanctions” and brought the U.S. to the negotiating table.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry official said that the U.S. officials have confessed this fact that the “toughest sanctions” could not bring Iran to knees, described it as one of Iran’s “diplomatic achievements”.

On July 14, Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) reached a nuclear agreement in Vienna.

Kerry also said that skeptics of the nuclear agreement have spread deceptions about how it would work.

NA/PA