Vice president: Iran neither consults, nor takes orders on nuclear tech

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref says Iran is steadfast in its independent nuclear policy, stressing that it will “neither consult nor take orders” from anyone. 

Addressing the inauguration of the new head of the country’s Iranology Foundation in Tehran Tuesday, Aref said the "essence of Iranian culture is the acquisition of knowledge, even in the most distant parts of the world". 

"We must make maximum use of advanced technologies and make these technologies, along with Iranian civilization, available to others," he said.

"We must use nuclear technology, like other technologies, to elevate humanity and solve society's problems. In this regard, we do not consult or take orders, and at the same time, we make it available to everyone," Aref added.

Aref touched on an Iranophobia campaign by the West, while "Iranian civilization and culture are the saviors of humanity, having been able to absorb Islamic culture so that today, we do not see this Iranian and Islamic culture separately, and Iran means Islamic Iran". 

"The result of Western civilization is the tragedies in Gaza, but the result of Iranian civilization is the pride and honor that wherever we travel in the world, we are proud of being Iranian," he said. 

"And this current Iranophobia has been created by those who claim to be civilized," he added.

Aref said the first priority in Iran's foreign policy is to establish and expand relations with the regional countries as well as Eurasian nations and the regional organizations. 

"Sometimes these countries are influenced by imposed culture and political affiliations, where it is also felt in our political negotiations so much so that even a friendly Islamic country asks us if we are seeking nuclear weapons.

"This is while the claimants of civilization in the West are behind the killing of innocent people and horrific crimes, but in Iranian-Islamic culture, we believe that if one human life is lost unjustly, it means that we have destroyed all humans.

"Can this culture and civilization pursue nuclear weapons?" he said. 

"Western countries should pay attention to Iran's top policy documents, which contain not only the approval of the country's ruler but also a religious decree (fatwa). We follow the fatwa, and if this fatwa prohibits the production of nuclear weapons and [endorses] the peaceful use of nuclear technology, all branches of the country will implement it."

Iran will not wait for any letter from US: Parliament speaker

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says Iran will not wait for any letter from the United States as the country relies on its domestic capacities.

Aref said Iran seeks peace and the development of the technologies and knowledge needed by the country outlined in its 20-Year National Vision which envisages an influential position for the country in the region, adding "we pursue this as a national duty".

"We have no conflict or dispute with any country, and we are amenable to compromise on some issues within the framework of values, but we will not compromise with anyone who covets a centimeter of the country's soil, which we defend in style," he said.

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