Dubai, December 08: The prime minister of the United Arab Emirate (UAE) has ruled out the possibility that Iran’s nuclear program may include a covert military dimension.
“Iran is our neighbor. They are Muslim, and we lived next to each other for thousands and thousands of years. I don’t believe that Iran will develop a nuclear weapon,” Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said.
CNN quoted Al Maktoum as saying on Wednesday that “What can Iran do with a nuclear weapon? For example, will they hit Israel? How many Palestinians will die? And you think if Iran hits Israel, their cities will be safe?”
The US, Israel and their allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program and have used this pretext to press the UN Security Council into impose four rounds of sanctions against Tehran.
On November 8, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) claimed in its latest report that Iran had engaged in activities related to developing nuclear weapons prior to 2003, adding that such activities “may still be ongoing.”
Iran dismissed the report as “unbalanced, unprofessional and prepared with political motivation and under political pressure by mostly the United States.”
Tehran says that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to acquire and develop atomic technology for peaceful purposes.
——-Agencies