UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran Thursday
lashed out at the U.S. statement on its nuclear program and alleged engagement
in terrorism, calling such allegations "baseless and absurd."
In a letter circulated to the UN Security Council
president, the Iranian permanent representative to the United Nations, Mohammad
Khazaee, said, "It is unfortunate that the Security Council yet again heard some
baseless allegations against the Islamic Republic of Iran by the representative
of the United States in today's meting of the council on Iraq."
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan
Rice, said the new U.S. administration will seek to end Iran's nuclear ambitions
and its support for terrorism. This comments at the end of an open meeting of
the UN Security Council on Iraq drew an immediate rebuke Thursday from Iranian
UN ambassador.
"Despite the allegations made by the U.S.
representative, Iran's nuclear program has been, is and will remain absolutely
peaceful and Iran has never tried nor will ever try to acquire nuclear weapons,"
the letter said.
"It is unfortunate that, yet again, we are hearing
the same tired, unwarranted and groundless allegations that used to be
unjustifiably and futilely repeated by the previous U.S. administration," the
letter said.
The Iranian asked Japanese UN ambassador Yukio
Takasu, who holds the council presidency for the month of February, to circulate
the letter as a Security Council document "since the format of the said
(council) meeting did not allow my delegation to make a statement on the
council's meeting," it said.
"The allegation made against Iran on terrorism is
also equally baseless and absurd," the letter said. "As a victim of terrorism,
we have always condemned terrorism in all its aspects and manifestations."
"Instead of raising allegations against others, the
United States had better take concrete and meaningful steps in correcting its
past wrong policies and practices vis-a-vis other nations including the Islamic
Republic of Iran," the letter added.
Rice made the statement on Iran at an open Security
Council meeting on Iraq, saying the long-term U.S. commitment to Iraq and the
reduction of the U.S. military presence there had to be understood "in a larger,
regional context" that included Afghanistan, the Middle East and Iran.
The United States "will seek an end to Iran's
ambition to acquire an illicit nuclear capacity and its support for terrorism,"
Rice said. She said the United States will aim to encourage both Iran and Syria
to become "constructive regional actors."
Her comments came as the Obama administration is reviewing U.S. policy toward Iran.
VIENNA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its inspectors have not found that Iran is attempting to process low-enriched uranium into weapons-grade uranium, the Austrian Press Agency (APA) reported on Friday. Full story
BUSHEHR, Iran, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said Wednesday that Iran has not changed its nuclear plan and will continue to install more centrifuges.
"Our plan to install and run centrifuges is not based on political conditions. We have a plan and we will go ahead with it," Aghazadeh told a joint press conference with Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation. Full story
TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here on Monday that Iran had not talked with any U.S. officials, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"No official or non-official talks were held between (Iran's senior presidential advisor) Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi and any U.S. official," Mottaki was quoted as saying. Full story
