Summary

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. The Iranian authorities are planning the future of their nuclear program within the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and are proceeding from their right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said in an interview with Vedomosti. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the Iranian authorities are planning for the future within the framework of this treaty," he replied to a question about potential changes to Iran's nuclear program, including concessions on fuel enrichment and its supply. Iran began developing its nuclear program in the 1950s during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, with support from the US. In 1958, the country became a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); in 1968, Tehran signed the NPT and ratified it in 1970. After the overthrow of the Shah’s regime in 1979 and the proclamation of the Islamic Republic, the nuclear program was suspended until the authorities resumed developing nuclear technology in the late 1980s. Since 2003, a fatwa (religious ruling) issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been in effect in Iran, prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons.