Leader's Adviser Raps France's Policies against Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Iranian official censured Paris for failing to adopt an independent approach regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear program.
"I wish France, as in the past and in the era of Charles de Gaulle and some other former leaders, adopted a more independent stance on international issues and did not follow the worst policies of the West," Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati told reporters on Saturday.
He emphasized that Paris will not earn any international prestige by taking positions against the Islamic Republic.
Velayati, who is also an adviser to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, added that due to its economic transactions with certain countries in the Middle East, the French government is making remarks (against Iran) to appease these countries.
As Iran and the world powers continue their talks to hammer out a lasting accord on Tehran's peaceful nuclear program, calls by certain countries, including France, for inspection of Iran's military sites seem to be aimed at impeding the progress of the talks.
The French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, whose country has taken a tough stance in the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, has said that France will not sign off on a deal if Tehran rules out inspections of its military sites as part of the final agreement.
This is while Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has categorically rejected foreign access to the country's "security and defensive" sectors under the pretext of nuclear monitoring.
The Leader has also ruled out any request for interviews with Iranian nuclear scientists, describing it as an instance of "interrogation".
"I would not let foreigners come (here) and talk to the Iranian nation's dear scientists..., who have expanded this wide knowledge to this stage," the Leader stressed.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies repeatedly accuse Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union having used the unsubstantiated claim as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions against Tehran.
Iran has categorically rejected the allegation, stressing that as a committed member of the IAEA and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Tehran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to non-civilian purposes.
