Disarmament Documentation

Back to Disarmament Documentation

'Iran has no legitimate need for nuclear energy', US Press Secretary Scott McClellan, February 19

'White House Seriously Concerned by Reports of Iranian WMD Activity', February 19, 2004.

The Bush administration is seriously concerned by new reports that Iran is enriching uranium and possesses advanced centrifuge designs, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters February 19.

The reports "that we are seeing of Iran enriching uranium and possessing more advanced centrifuge designs" than previously declared "raise serious concerns," he said.

He noted that President Bush, in recent remarks at the National Defense University, talked about how Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan and his associates provided Iran with designs for Pakistan's older centrifuge as well as designs for more advanced and efficient models.

McClellan reminded reporters that a few months ago Iran agreed to implement an additional protocol to stop enriching and reprocessing uranium and related activities and to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"The IAEA inspectors have been in Iran looking at these programs, and we look forward to hearing from the director general of the IAEA at the March board meeting and discussing the matter further at that time," he said.

"We have always stated our belief that Iran is developing a nuclear weapons program under the cover of pursuing nuclear power for peaceful reasons. A country with the vast oil and gas resources of Iran has no legitimate need for nuclear energy, and full confidence about Iran's nuclear program requires Iran to abandon uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities," he said.

Source: US State Department, Washington File, http://usinfo.state.gov.

Back to the Top of the Page

© 2003 The Acronym Institute.