Iran rejects Mossad nuclear claim

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4208809.stm

Iran says it is building a civilian nuclear energy programme


Iran has rejected a warning by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency that it could have a nuclear bomb within three years as "baseless" and misleading.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi insisted Iran's nuclear programme was peaceful and accused Israel of trying to mislead world opinion.

Mossad head Meir Dagan had told Israeli MPs that Iran's nuclear activities were nearing the "point of no return".

Iran has always insisted it is building a civilian nuclear energy programme.

However, Israel and the US maintain the Islamic state is using the energy programme as a front for a covert weapons regime.





The unfounded claims were made to deviate world attention from Israel's organised terror activities and efforts to strengthen its nuclear power




Hamid Reza Asefi
Foreign ministry spokesman


Last week US Vice-President Dick Cheney said Iran's nuclear programme put it "top of the list" of global issues.

Mr Asefi is quoted by the Iranian news agency Irna as saying Israel's allegations were "unfounded" and designed to distract attention from its own nuclear capabilities.

Israel "brazenly tries to portray Iran's nuclear activities as a threat to the world", Mr Asefi said, while continuing to strengthen its own nuclear power.

Defeat invaders

Mr Dagan told the Knesset foreign affairs and defence committee on Monday that Iran was negotiating with European mediators to be allowed to continue developing uranium enrichment capability.

Iran agreed in November to halt uranium enrichment under pressure from the US, Europe and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

If it resumes enrichment and succeeds before the end of 2005, Mr Dagan said, "the route to building a bomb is a short one".

"The moment you have the technology for enrichment, you are home free," he said.

Mr Dagan said it could take Iran just two more years to develop a bomb once they had completed enrichment.

The Mossad chief's warning was echoed by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who told Israel's Army Radio the problem should concern the whole world.

At the same time, a top Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying that Iran would carry out an "astonishing" retaliation to any "stupid action" by Israel or the US.

Brigadier General Mohammed Ali-Jafari told the reformist Shargh newspaper that Iran's ground forces now had the capacity to drive out any attacker within months of an invasion.