TEHRAN, January 11 (RIA Novosti) - Iran will continue to exercise its right to develop and use nuclear technology for civilian purposes despite international criticism of its efforts in the sphere, a senior Iranian official told reporters Wednesday.
"Despite the wave of protests and criticism from major global powers of Iran's resumption of nuclear research, the Iranian people will employ every reasonable method to uphold their legitimate right to have peaceful nuclear technology and will never abandon it," said Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the head of the influential Expediency Council, an advisory body to the Iranian leader.
He said it was unacceptable that a country seeking to use advanced technology should suffer political attacks from other countries in the era of democracy.
A number of countries, led by the United States and Israel, have consistently voiced concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, as they fear it wishes to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran itself has denied the accusations, but the tension around the issue has not been helped by comments made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who at the end of last year called for Israel to be "wiped from the face of the map," and then suggested it be moved to either Europe or North America. He also said the Holocaust was a myth.
Hashemi-Rafsanjani dismissed calls for the Islamic Republic's nuclear programs to be referred to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions on Iran if it is found to be in breach of its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog.
A powerful figure in domestic politics - he was president from 1989 to 1997 - Hashemi-Rafsanjani said the attacks on Iran represented more than criticism of its nuclear program. He said Western countries wanted their former colonies to remain backward.
"The West wants to punish an independent country that has achieved success in scientific research and ended ignorance," he said.
Iran announced Tuesday that it was resuming nuclear research after a two-year hiatus. IAEA seals on equipment at some nuclear facilities were removed in the presence of IAEA inspectors.
Moscow said Wednesday that it was disappointed over Iran's decision to abandon the moratorium. Russia, which is helping Iran build an $800-million nuclear power plant at Bushehr, proposed last year establishing a joint venture on its own territory to enrich nuclear fuel for Iranian power plants. The European Union, which has been at the center of negotiations with the Persian Gulf country, and the U.S. backed the idea.
Iran, however, has not yet agreed, though talks are said to be continuing.
