Raisi: Iran Will Never Produce Nuclear Weapons

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami explaining to President Ebrahim Raisi during their tour of the nuclear exhibition (Iranian atomic)
Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami explaining to President Ebrahim Raisi during their tour of the nuclear exhibition (Iranian atomic)
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Raisi: Iran Will Never Produce Nuclear Weapons

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami explaining to President Ebrahim Raisi during their tour of the nuclear exhibition (Iranian atomic)
Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami explaining to President Ebrahim Raisi during their tour of the nuclear exhibition (Iranian atomic)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi asserted that Iran's nuclear program would never develop towards producing atomic weapons, amid international fears that Tehran will continue to enrich uranium by 60 percent.

He emphasized that some people in the world think that power is created by producing nuclear weapons.

Iran has often stated that "even though such capability exists in the country, according to the religious beliefs and the emphasis of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, we will never go towards the production of nuclear weapons."

Raisi called for the transfer of nuclear achievements to other industries.

"With the will of the country's scientists in converting knowledge into ability in the nuclear field, today millions of people have been saved from disease, which is one of the great honors of the country."

Last week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei emphasized that the West's claim about "the fear of nuclear weapons production in Iran" is a lie.

Khamenei recalled that the US intelligence community had acknowledged several times that there were no signs of Iran moving towards producing nuclear weapons.

The Leader clarified that producing weapons of mass destruction is against Islamic beliefs and practices.

"If this Islamic belief did not exist and If we had wanted to build nuclear weapons, we would have done so, and the enemies know that they could not have done anything to stop us," he added.

Khamenei said it was necessary to maintain communication and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the framework of the safeguards agreements.

"This has been my recommendation to various officials of the nuclear industry from the beginning," he said, adding: "Of course, do not go under the burden of anything more than the safeguards regulations."

Under the law, Tehran suspends IAEA inspections of nuclear sites and ramps up uranium enrichment if sanctions are not lifted.

Iran continues to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium by five percent, 20 percent, and 60 percent, bringing its total to more than 21 times the limit stipulated in the nuclear deal.

Earlier this month, France, Germany, and the UK (E3) gave a joint statement to the IAEA Board of Governors on Iran's implementation of its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA.

The E3 said in the statement that there was no substantial change in Iran's behavior.

"Over the reporting period, Iran has unabatedly continued escalating its nuclear program beyond civilian justification and has displayed the little will to implement the transparency commitments laid out in the Joint Statement agreed last March."

"Iran is, undoubtedly and unabatedly, on a path of significant nuclear escalation. Its activities are a clear threat to regional and global security."

Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive the agreement with six major powers reached a dead end in September amid exchanged accusations of making unreasonable demands.

The Iranian government is trying to intensify its trade cooperation with neighboring countries within the framework of a program that the Supreme Leader called for to nullify the effect of Western sanctions.



Pope Leo Marks First Easter as Pontiff with Call for Hope Amid Global Conflicts

 Pope Leo XIV presides over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026 (AP)
Pope Leo XIV presides over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026 (AP)
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Pope Leo Marks First Easter as Pontiff with Call for Hope Amid Global Conflicts

 Pope Leo XIV presides over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026 (AP)
Pope Leo XIV presides over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 5, 2026 (AP)

Pope Leo celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff with a call Sunday to exercise hope against “the violence of war that kills and destroys,” saying “we need this song of hope today” as conflicts spread around the world.

With the US-Israeli war on Iran in its second month and Russia’s ongoing campaign in Ukraine, Leo has repeatedly called for a halt in hostilities. In his Easter homily, the pope singled out those who wage war, abuse the weak and prioritize profits.

Leo, the first US-born pope, addressed the faithful from an open-air altar in St. Peter’s Square flanked with white roses, while the steps leading down to the piazza where the faithful gathered were filled with spring perennials, symbolically resonating with the pope’s message of hope.

The pontiff implored the faithful to keep their hope in the face of death, which lurks “in injustices, in partisan selfishness, in the oppression of the poor, in the lack of attention given to the most vulnerable.

“We see it in violence, in the wounds of the world, in the cry of pain that rises from every corner because of the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because of the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth’s resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys,” he said.

He quoted his predecessor Pope Francis in warning against falling into indifference in the face of “persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty,” because “it is also true that in the midst of darkness, something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit.”

He will later deliver the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” message — Latin for “to the city and the world.”

Christians in the Holy Land were marking a subdued Easter Traditional ceremonies at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered by Christians as the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, were scaled back under an agreement with Israeli police. Authorities have put limits on the sizes of public gatherings due to ongoing missile attacks.

The restrictions also dampened the recent Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr holiday, as well as the current weeklong Jewish festival of Passover. On Sunday, the Jewish priestly blessing at the Western Wall — normally attended by tens of thousands — was limited to just 50 people.

The restrictions have strained relations between Israeli authorities and Christian leaders. Police last week prevented two of the church’s top religious leaders, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On Tuesday, the pope had expressed hope that the war could be finished before Easter.


France Condemns China’s Execution of a French Citizen Held on Death Row for 15 Years

 A child holds a Chinese national flag near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in Beijing, China, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP)
A child holds a Chinese national flag near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in Beijing, China, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP)
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France Condemns China’s Execution of a French Citizen Held on Death Row for 15 Years

 A child holds a Chinese national flag near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in Beijing, China, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP)
A child holds a Chinese national flag near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in Beijing, China, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP)

France said China has executed a French citizen convicted of drug trafficking after keeping him on death row for more than 15 years. 

Chan Thao Phoumy, 62, was executed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, despite French authorities’ clemency appeals, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Saturday. It didn’t say when the sentence was carried out. A Chinese court sentenced him to death in 2010. 

The ministry’s statement expressed “consternation” and added: “We particularly regret that Mr. Chan’s defense did not have access to the final court hearing, which constitutes a violation of his rights.” 

“We extend our condolences to his family, whose grief we share,” it said. 

In a short statement Sunday that didn't mention Chan by name, the Chinese Embassy in Paris said that China “treats defendants of all nationalities equally, handles all cases impartially and strictly in accordance with the law.” 

France abolished the death penalty by act of parliament in 1981, and has become a vigorous campaigner against its use and for its abolition everywhere. 

China's use of executions — carried out by firing squads or lethal injections — is shrouded in secrecy but has long been extensive. Amnesty International says China is the world's lead executioner, believed to sentence and put to death thousands of people annually. 


Iran Internet Blackout Is Longest Nationwide Shutdown on Record, Says NetBlocks

Iranians pose for pictures as they celebrate Iranian Nature's Day on the thirteenth day of Nowruz (Persian New Year), in a park in Tehran, Iran, 02 April 2026. (EPA)
Iranians pose for pictures as they celebrate Iranian Nature's Day on the thirteenth day of Nowruz (Persian New Year), in a park in Tehran, Iran, 02 April 2026. (EPA)
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Iran Internet Blackout Is Longest Nationwide Shutdown on Record, Says NetBlocks

Iranians pose for pictures as they celebrate Iranian Nature's Day on the thirteenth day of Nowruz (Persian New Year), in a park in Tehran, Iran, 02 April 2026. (EPA)
Iranians pose for pictures as they celebrate Iranian Nature's Day on the thirteenth day of Nowruz (Persian New Year), in a park in Tehran, Iran, 02 April 2026. (EPA)

Iran's internet blackout, first imposed well over a month ago, is now the longest nationwide shutdown on record, according to the monitor NetBlocks.

"Iran's internet blackout is now the longest nation-scale internet shutdown on record in any country, exceeding all other comparable incidents in severity having entered its 37th consecutive day after 864 hours," NetBlocks said in a tweet.

In another tweet, the monitor noted some countries had experienced intermittent or regional-level shutdowns over longer periods, while North Korea had never been connected to the global internet at all.