Khamenei Adviser Says Iran Will Firmly Maintain Its Peaceful Nuclear Program

Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz. (WIkimedia Commons/Hamed Saber)

JAKARTA - Ali Shamkhani, adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reaffirmed Iran's commitment to maintaining its peaceful nuclear program and opposing excessive demands from imperialists.

"Iran has never searched for nuclear weapons and will never do so," said Shamkhani, highlighting the transparency of Iran's nuclear activities and its compliance with international commitments, quoted from IRNA on February 4.

Shamkhani stressed that Iran will firmly defend its legal rights "politically and technically" against foreign pressures.

It is known that Iran and six world powers, the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, signed a nuclear deal officially called the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). Tehran accepted certain restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for sanction relief.

Later, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 despite Iran's compliance with its commitments and implementing a collaborative "maximum pressure" policy.

"We are determined to oppose the excessive demands of global powers that are passive and do not keep promises and force them to respect the legal rights of the proud Iranian people," Shamkhani said, referring to US withdrawals that violated the law.

Shamkhani also underlined the importance of developing nuclear technology in Iran, linking Tehran's progress to Iran's knowledge, creativity and determination.