Assefi made the remark in response a statement of John Bolton, Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, who told BBC Radio on Friday that military action was a last resort but insisted that Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapons capability.
Bolton said that U.S. President George W. Bush "has repeatedly said that all options are on the table. But that (military action) is not only not our preference, it is far far from our minds."
Iranian officials have repeatedly said that their nuclear program is mainly for peaceful purposes. The nuclear installations of Iran have been regularly monitored by the inspectors of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) whose Board of Governors declined last week to condemn Iran or issue a resolution against Iran despite U.S. pressures.
The agency only called on Iran to sing the additional protocol to the NPT and follow more transparent policy with regard to its nuclear programs. The additional protocol, 93+2, provides room for short notice inspections.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said on record that his country will sign the additional protocol provided other members of the NPT, particularly the developed world, fulfilled their obligations under the same convention to transfer technological know-how and equipment to Iran for its peaceful nuclear program.
The United States cut off its ties with Iran in 1980 following the capture of its embassy by the Iranian students in November 1979 who said the U.S. was hatching plots through its embassy to undermine the Islamic Revolution.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Iran and since the September 11 attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Organization in New York the hawks in the Bush administration have followed a tougher policy against Iran.
In post-September 11 era, the U.S. on the pretext of fighting terrorism overthrew the stone-age regime of Taliban in Afghanistan and the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein on the pretext that the regime had weapons of mass destruction.
But more than two months after of the dismantlement of Saddam’s regime, no trace of weapons of mass destruction has been found in that country.
Following its failure to convince the public opinion regarding the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the United State tilted the focus of its propaganda war against Iran to ward off pressures at home.
Bush Administration is under pressure of the Democrats who have already launched their electioneering campaign for the forthcoming presidential elections.
Iran’s relations with the United States were on the verge of rapprochement during the presidency of Bill Clinton. His secretary of State Madeline Albright even prepared a roadmap for the resumption of ties, but due to the pressures of hawks in Tehran and Washington the roadmap was buried.
MS/SM
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MNA