Defending Iran's Uranium Acquisition But Not For Weapons, President Raisi: Response To Commitment Violations

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. (Wikimedia Commons/Fars Media Corporation/Ali Abak)

JAKARTA - President Ebrahim Raisi in an interview with television on Sunday defended his nuclear enrichment policy, but said they were not looking for nuclear weapons or the like, and made sure not to reject the presence of UN nuclear agency inspectors.

In an interview with CNN, President Raisi said Iran did not say it wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear inspectors to be in his country.

President Raisi said Iran had no problem with the UN nuclear watchdog's inspection of its nuclear site, days after Tehran banned several inspectors assigned to the country.

"Iran's Islamic Republic did not say that we don't want any inspectors to come here," he said.

Regarding the uranium enrichment program carried out by the country to close to the weapons level, President Raisi said it was a response to European countries that did not comply with the 2015 nuclear agreement.

"At first, we didn't look for a 60 percent level of enrichment. They trampled on their commitment," President Raisi said, as reported by The National News.

"What the Islamic Republic of Iran has done is in response to the violation of the commitment of the signatories of the agreement," he said.

On the occasion, the President reiterated that the increase in Iran's uranium enrichment was not preparation for making atomic bombs.

"We have repeatedly announced the use of nuclear weapons, the use of weapons of mass destruction in general, has no place," he stressed.

"Why? Because we don't believe in it, and we don't need it either," said President Raisi.