Iran says nuclear enrichment program has no military objectives

Iran has said the Islamic Republic’s nuclear enrichment program has no military objectives and the development of nuclear program is in line with technical needs.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote this in his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to an interview by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The IAEA official had said that Iran is enriching uranium close to military levels and is rapidly moving towards becoming a nuclear state.

He added that the JCPOA is no longer relevant and a new understanding is needed to take into account the realities of Iran’s nuclear program.

Gharibabadi said that first, the IAEA official is expected to speak based on facts and technical reports from the agency’s inspectors. He added that reading intentions based on hypothetical scenarios is not part of the Director General’s duties. It is contrary to the letter and spirit of the IAEA’s statute, he added.

The deputy foreign minister further said that second, the development of Iran’s nuclear program is in line with technical needs. It is being carried out fully under the agency’s safeguards supervision, he added.