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International News
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Written by Samuel Sokol
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Thursday, 15 April 2010 10:18 |
“Iran will in the near future turn into an exporter of nuclear technology,†President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced during a speech at the fourth annual National Nuclear Festival, according to the official presidential website.
Iranian allies which could presumably benefit from exports of nuclear technology include Syria, a state sponsor of terrorism whose own suspected nuclear site was attacked by the Israelis in 2006.
This announcement is seemingly in conflict with the stated goal of the regime in promoting an upcoming conference on nuclear non-proliferation, as it is widely believed that the purpose of the Iranian nuclear program is military in nature, and that any exports of nuclear technology by Tehran would also be used for the development of weapons.
The Islamic Republic of Iran will be holding a conference entitled “Nuclear Energy For All, Nuclear Weapons For None†on April 17-18.
“Foreign ministers, representatives, and nuclear experts from 60 countries†will be present to discuss nuclear disarmament and the “aftermaths of not destroying weapons of mass-destruction,†according to a report by the Fars News Agency.
Speaking in Japan in February, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani announced that the conference will center around a discussion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
According to military affairs blogger Nathan Hodge, the treaty is “a favorite subject of the Iranian government†and that while “the NPT limits the nuclear-weapons club to five members . . . Iran also likes to assert its right under the treaty to develop its own nuclear fuel cycle.â€
The conference title is evocative of previous comments made by representatives of Tehran’s Islamic theocracy. In 2009, the Tehran Times quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi as saying, “Nuclear energy (is) for all and nuclear weapons (is) for none.†According to Qashqavi, no country “must have the right to possess or use nuclear weapons,†a statement that could be interpreted as opposition to Israel’s nuclear capability.
The Fars report states that “participants are slated to assess the causes and reasons underlying the lack of heed and attention to the implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regulations, Article 6 in particular.â€
Article 6 of the NPT stipulates that all signatories to the treaty are required to “pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.â€
Iran denies that its nuclear program is for anything but civilian utility, and Hodge implied that the conference is a smokescreen intended to obscure Tehran’s intentions.
“The Tehran Times reports that conference attendees will also get to visit historic Isfahan. On the way, I suggest they stop at the uranium conversion facility,†Hodge wrote. “It’s right outside of town. Or make a detour to the Natanz enrichment plant, just a two-hour drive away.â€
Iranian spokesmen have denied that their country is developing nuclear energy for anything other than civilian applications. In support of this contention, Iranian representatives, such as Hassan Rohani, secretary of Iran’s High Council for National Security and former head nuclear negotiator, have quoted a 1997 fatwa by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei which states that the use of nuclear arms is contrary to and forbidden by Islamic religious law. The fatwa has never appeared in print, however, and according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an Israeli think-tank, it “will not constrain the Iranian regime if and when it declares its intention to develop or stockpile nuclear weapons.â€
A recent report by the think-tank shed light on the thinking regarding nuclear weapons amongst the Iranian clerical elite, quoting Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdir, a hard-line cleric and the spiritual mentor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as calling on the Islamic Republic of Iran to acquire what he terms “a special kind of weapon.â€
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