West Should Support Iranian Nuclear Programme – Newspaper

The West should support Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme instead of threatening it with more economic sanctions, a September 27 editorial in the official newspaper al-Thawra said.



Asaad Aboud, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, said that western leaders should thank the Islamic Republic for agreeing to open its doors to inspectors and allowing them to look into its industrial nuclear sites.



Iran said on September 26 that it would allow inspectors into its newly disclosed uranium enrichment plant after the international community condemned Tehran for building the facility.



Aboud praised Iran’s decision to agree to partnerships with multinationals in running its nuclear plants, which, it said, were designed only for producing electricity.



He said it was the right of all nations to develop nuclear energy for civilian purposes and urged western powers to help all countries in this field.



The columnist said that preventing some nations from building a peaceful nuclear industry would drive these countries to resort to clandestine means.



Aboud criticised the West for turning a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear arsenal and said the international community should declare that no nation should own nuclear weapons.



He said that Syria faced pressure and accusations although it had never thought of manufacturing nuclear weapons.