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.



7 More Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
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7 More Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Seven more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to 12. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants.

The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday, Reuters reported.

“We pray for God’s mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,” the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected.

It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces' commanders were traveling to the region to carry out “inspections and evaluations” and attend a ceremony as the soldiers were flown to their hometowns for burial.

Speaking at the ceremony, Guler commended the troops' “great courage and sacrifice,” adding: “Our grief is immense and our feelings are beyond words.”

The ministry said the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region” — a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other soldiers who were affected by the gas.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye.

Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.

According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by “terrorist gunfire” during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years.

The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.