On Tuesday, Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani told reporters at a press briefing that Iran's military safety would be ensured as a result of its nuclear program.
He added that uranium enrichment in Iran was not negotiable, and that the recent EU3 proposal to end such a program and commit Iran to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was and insult to Iran.
Shamkhani, in what was expected to be his last press briefing as Minister of Defense, asserted that Iran's nuclear facilities were for peaceful purposes only, and that Iran will beach its nuclear commitments "only when another country attacks Iran's nuclear facilities", according to Iran's national news agency IRNA. He also added that there was no room in Iran's "military strategy or religious beliefs" for nuclear weapons.
Regarding the possible destruction of Iranian nuclear facilities, Shamkhani stated that such facilities were equipped with air defense shields, and that it would "be very foolish to attack the facilities". He added that Iran's Shihab-3 missile was not intended to threaten any specific country, rather, it was developed to deter threats.
He also stated that Iran's decision to pursue its nuclear program would not be affected by a possible referral of the matter to the United Nations Security Council.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
