Publish Date: 20 April 2013 - 23:01

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman has criticized the UN Security Council statement about Tehran's nuclear program, reiterating the country’s stance as a committed member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).


“We are a committed member of the [International Atomic Energy] agency (IAEA), one of the first countries that signed the NPT and we are committed to our obligations under the treaty,” Ramin Mehmanparast said Saturday.

“We will continue our cooperation with the IAEA,” Mehmanparast added.

In a joint statement published on April 19, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States described North Korea's nuclear test in February and Iran's "continued pursuit of certain nuclear activities" as among the biggest threats to the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Iranian official said Iran is continuing its completely peaceful nuclear program under the constant supervision of IAEA inspectors.

The US, Israel and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the claim as pretext to impose illegal sanctions against Iran.

Tehran rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Treaty on the NPT and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Furthermore, Ayatollah Khamenei on February 22, 2012 said that the Islamic Republic considers the pursuit and possession of nuclear weapons “a grave sin” from every logical, religious and theoretical standpoint.

The Leader described the proliferation of nuclear weapons as “senseless, destructive and dangerous,” adding that the Iranian nation has never sought and will never seek atomic bombs as the country already has the conventional capacity to challenge nuclear powers.