Iran Vows to Reject Nuclear Restrictions

[struggle4progress]

Toughening its stance in advance of a meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Iran said on Saturday that it would reject international restrictions on its nuclear program and challenged the world to accept Tehran as a member of the "nuclear club."
<snip>

"We won't accept any new obligations," Kharrazi said. "Iran has a high technical capability and has to be recognized by the international community as a member of the nuclear club. This is an irreversible path."

Iran has repeatedly insisted its program is geared toward generating electricity, but the United States and its allies say Tehran has a secret weapons program. The IAEA has wrestled with the dilemma for more than a year.

Kharrazi said Iran would not give up its development of the nuclear fuel cycle, the steps for processing and enriching uranium that could be used for both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Iran says it has achieved the full cycle but is not enriching uranium.
<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37553-2004Jun12.html