A number of high-ranking Iranian bishops and Assyrian and Christian members of the parliament in a letter to US President Barack Obama stressed that the Supreme Leader's fatwa that has placed a strong religious ban on the acquisition, possession and use of atomic bombs leaves no room for western concerns over Iran's nuclear activities.

"The fatwa issued by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Commander-in-Chief Ayatollah Khamenei on banning all forms of supply, purchase, production and use of atomic weapons confirms that presence of any Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), including chemical and atomic weapons, is rejected (in Islam) similar to other divine religions," the letter released on Monday said.

The Assyrian and Christian bishops and lawmakers also underscored Iran's right of using peaceful nuclear technology, and voiced support for the nuclear talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) underway in Vienna.

Meantime, as the 10th and last round of negotiations between Iran and six world powers is now underway in Vienna and the seven nations have just today to work out a final deal, sources close to the negotiations said the November 24 deadline for the talks is to be extended.

The 9th round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 included two days of trilateral talks among Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry and EU's Chief negotiator Catherine Ashton as well as an hour-long multilateral meeting between the Iranian and G5+1 top negotiators in the Omani capital on November 11 without any tangible results.

In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.
 

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