Lawmaker: Country can produce nuclear weapons

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has the knowledge and scientific capability to produce nuclear weapons but will never do so, a prominent lawmaker has said.

Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam is a parliamentarian not a government official and his views do not represent the Iranian government’s policy. It however is the first time such a prominent Iranian politician has publicly stated Iran has the technological capability to produce a nuclear weapon.

His assertion published on parliament’s website late Friday suggests Iran is trying to show unity in its political establishment around its often repeated claims it seeks world-class technological advances including nuclear expertise, but does not want to develop atomic arms as the U.S. and its allies claim.

The statement comes before planned talks beginning next week with the U.S. and other world powers over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Moghadam said Iran can easily produce the highly enriched uranium used to build atomic bombs, but it is not Tehran’s policy to go that route.

“Iran has the scientific and technological capability to produce (a) nuclear weapon, but will never choose this path,” he said in remarks carried by the parliamentary website icana.ir.

The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charges, saying its program is peaceful and geared toward generating electricity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

The White House did not comment on Moghadam’s comments.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly insisted his country is not seeking nuclear weapons, saying holding such arms is a sin as well as “useless, harmful and dangerous.”

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also asserted that if Iran one day decides to build nuclear weapons, it will do so openly and won’t fear anybody. However, he has also emphasized Iran has no intention to weaponize what he describes as a peaceful nuclear program.