Iranian official: We're month away from joining 'nuclear club'

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Iranian official: We're month away from joining 'nuclear club'

Iranian Atomic Energy deputy chief says no country would consider attacking Islamic Republic after it reaches nuclear capabilities
Dudi Cohen


Iranian Atomic Energy deputy chief Behzat Sultani said Tuesday that the Islamic Republic will join the "nuclear club" within one month and added, "No country will consider attacking it after that." He provided no further details. Sultani added that 70% of the Arak nuclear reactor has been completed.

According to a report by the Iranian Fars news agency Sultani made the stataments during a meeting with students at the city of Kashan in central Iran. He boasted by saying, "despite the fact that our enemies thought Iran couldn't enrich uranium to a 20% level – we had no technical problem and it was performed under the agency's inspection."


Sultani stressed that Iran was only planning to use nuclear technology for electricity purposes. "Our next step is to expand the use of nuclear technology for other purposes than energy and fuel, so that food products, proteins and vegetables will sustain for longer periods and in higher quality."


'Different interpretation'

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a response to a meeting held between Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barak Obama during the NPT conference in Washington. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tehran doesn't "consider the statement as approval of the US stance and unfair actions."


He told reporters on that "our interpretation is different" but didn't elaborate.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed the possibility of a military conflict with Iran during an interview with CBS.

"I would not want the world to wake up to a conflict between Israel and Iran, quite simply because the international community has been incapable of acting," Sarkozy said, calling a possible Israeli strike against Iran "a disaster".

The French president added, "I consider the fact that Iran should get its hands on a nuclear weapon - a military nuclear weapon, together with the many statements made by Iranian leaders against the democracy that is Israel is dangerous and unacceptable."


AP contributed to this report

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