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On April 12, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi 's Washington Post op-ed headlined, "Iran: We do not want nuclear weapons," saying:
Decades ago, America "help(ed) Iran set up the full nuclear fuel cycle along with atomic power plants." At the time, Washington said "nuclear power would provide for the growing needs of our economy and free our remaining oil reserves for export or conversion to petrochemicals. That rationale has not changed."
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, America ended fuel shipments. To secure them, Iran modified its operations to run on 20% enriched uranium. The same Tehran Research Reactor operates today. It supplies isotopes used for treating cancer patients.
In 2009, Iran requested the IAEA supply fuel. Local stockpiles were low. Lives were at stake. Tehran agreed to "exchange a major portion of our stock of low-enriched uranium...." In response, the Obama administration imposed more sanctions.
Iran acted responsibly, he stressed. Its scientists "managed to do something we had never done before: enrich uranium to the needed 20 percent and mold it into fuel plates for the reactor." Iran is capable of providing for its own needs.
At the same time, he, like other Tehran officials, expressed opposition to "weapons of mass destruction." In the 1980s, when Iraq attacked Iran with chemical arms, "we did not retaliate" the same way. Its nuclear program fully complies with NPT provisions. It has no "military dimension." No evidence suggests it.
He hoped Istanbul talks would resolve differences, end suspicions, and produce trust. He urged all sides to "make genuine efforts" to try.
At the same time, he knows what Iran faced for decades. Discussions for one or two days won't change things. One side can't resolve issues without a willing partner. Washington's hardline stance hasn't changed.
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