Presidential candidate Hassan Rohani says the US-engineered sanctions against Iran are illegal, because the West acknowledged the peaceful nature of Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s nuclear energy program almost nine years ago.\n<\/p>\n
In a televised speech on Monday, Rohani said \u00c5\u201cthe Board of Governors [of the International Atomic Energy Agency] unanimously confirmed the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear energy program in November 2004.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cWe did not allow the nuclear dossier to be referred to the Security Council. In the course of one year, we proved the peaceful nature of our nuclear energy program,\u201d the presidential candidate stated.\n<\/p>\n
Rohani said that from October 2003 to August 2005 — his term as Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s top nuclear negotiator — the country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s policy, under the supervision of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, was to repel threats and \u00c5\u201cto convert them to opportunities\u201d in order to disprove Western allegations that Iran is pursuing military objectives in its nuclear energy program, and to foil Washington\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s plots against the Islamic Republic.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cThe US wanted to say that Iran is after a [nuclear] bomb. We wanted to prove that the US was lying. Iran was not pursuing a bomb, nor is it today or will it be tomorrow, because the Leader has said it is a grave sin,\u201d the director of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program and have used the unfounded accusation as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.\n<\/p>\n
In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.\n<\/p>\n
In Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s June 14 presidential election, Rohani will be competing against Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, MP Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, former First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref, Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, former Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati, and former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi.\n<\/p>\n
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election, and the Guardian Council vets the candidates.\n<\/p>\n
MHB\/AS
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