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Iran Denies U.S. Policy Influenced Decision to Open Nuclear Program
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami denied yesterday that the United States influenced Iran’s decision to open its nuclear facilities to increased international scrutiny, according to Knight Ridder News Service (see GSN, Jan. 21). In his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, U.S. President George W. Bush noted Iran’s agreement to allow increased international inspections of its nuclear program as evidence of his administration’s successful foreign policy approach. During an address at an international economic conference yesterday in Switzerland, however, Khatami rejected Bush’s claim. “I do not accept what he said,” Khatami said. “All the noise and fanfare of the United States didn’t have any impact on our decision,” he added. Instead, it was negotiations last year with France, Germany and the United Kingdom that led to Iran’s decision, Khatami said, adding that the success in reaching an agreement demonstrated the value of dialogue (Ken Moritsugu, Knight Ridder/Miami Herald, Jan. 22). Khatami yesterday also said that Iran has “never” possessed weapons of mass destruction and that it “vehemently” opposes the production of nuclear weapons, according to Agence France-Presse. In addition, he also denied that North Korea had aided Iran’s nuclear efforts. “I categorically deny the shipment of nuclear material by North Korea to Iran,” Khatami said (Agence France-Presse/Jordan Times, Jan. 22).
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