December 25, 2015
President Rohani told the nation last Wednesday that the IAEA had certified Iran never had a nuclear weapons program and that everything Iran had told the world about its program was true.
It was one of the very few things Rohani has said that did not go challenged in any way by hardliners, despite the fact that Rohani reversed the conclusions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The president spoke in a nationally televised address to the Iranian public.
“For nearly 14 years,” he said, “terrorist groups, intelligence organizations, and big western powers leveled accusations at Iran claiming that Iran is enriching uranium somewhere and is engaged in secretly making a nuclear bomb and is not providing the IAEA with clear information.”
He called the end of the IAEA probe into Iran’s nuclear program a great achievement by the people of Iran in every way. “This victory showed that this political system speaks honestly with its own people and the world as well and is committed to its vows,” Rohani said.
“All legal issues [presented by the West] were based on the idea that they wanted to say Iran has not been committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he said.
But, “Both the IAEA and its Board of Governors admitted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has never deviated from its peaceful path over years and was not busy making nuclear bombs—as Iran has repeatedly announced it is committed to its religious and moral vows and does not seek nuclear weapons and the Supreme Leader has stressed that in an important decree.”
All this, however, was contradicted by the words of the IAEA’s report earlier this month. Its summary paragraph said:
“The agency’s overall assessment is that a range of activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device were conducted in Iran [from the late 1980s] to the end of 2003 as a coordinated effort and some activities took place after 2003. The agency also assesses that these activities did not advance beyond feasibility and scientific studies and the acquisition of certain relevant technical comp-etences and capabilities. The agency has no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009.”
The US intelligence community concluded and announced in 2007 that Iran had wrapped up its nuclear weapons program in 2003. That has remained the assessment since then. It has not spoken of some parts of the program being continued through 2009, as the IAEA said.
In his televised address, Rohani said: “I announce to the people of Iran that the sanctions will be lifted in the month of Dey [December 22-January 20].”
The people should get ready for economic growth, he said, adding: “We invite all domestic and foreign entrepreneurs, as well as Iranians residing abroad to make the best use of the investment opportunities with the people who seek constructive interaction with the world.”
At the end of his address, Rohani said that Iranians need to be united now more than ever and everyone should try to use the new environment for the benefit of the country’s development and growth.
