Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Photo: Reuters
Khamenei: Iran not seeking nuclear weapons
Iran's supreme leader downplays Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions, insists atom work civilian, for peaceful purposes
Iran's supreme leader the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed Tehran's nuclear work Wednesday, insisting the Islamic Republic was not pursuing atomic weapons.
Earlier Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that its mission was leaving Iran after only two days, deeming its nuclear talks with Iran a failed endeavor.
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The UN nuclear inspector heading the team, Herman Nackaerts, said upon returning to Vienna that the Iranians had barred inspectors from visiting Parchin – a key military site where military nuclear activities had been detected.
"We are not after an atomic weapon. We want to break the (West's) supremacy on nuclear weapons... God willing, the nation will reach this goal," Khamenei told a conference of Iranian nuclear scientists.
"Despite what the enemies say, nuclear energy is directly linked to our national interests," he added, urging the scientists to "continue the important and substantial" nuclear work.
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