H.E. Mr. Javad Kachoueian:

The negotiations between the Iranian authorities and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, continue in Vienna. Both sides are talking about how to draft the contract document. According to the strong religious fatwa from the Supreme Leader issued in 2005, any activities such as the production, stockpiling and use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, are forbidden. The members witnessed during the war between Iran and Iraq that when the Iraqi side used chemical weapons we did not respond, for this reason. Based on the fatwa, as the Supreme Leader has said, the possession of nuclear weapons is a sin, and having such weapons is absolutely prohibited since they endanger the existence of humanity. The nuclear fatwa is a principled one since the existence of humanity is at stake. The fatwa is not dependent on time and circumstance. It establishes a precedent that future religious leaders may not discard.

The fatwa should be taken as an assurance that Iran has no intention of building such weapons. It can be adopted as an official United Nations document as a way to build confidence. Based on the fatwa, Iran has called for all nuclear sovereigns to create a world without nuclear weapons. We are also in favour of militaries free from nuclear weapons. Nuclear arms do not have any place in our defence structure. The nuclear issue in Iran is not about nuclear weapons. The issue is that the people of my country cannot accept others telling them not to have a peaceful nuclear programme. We want to use this technology only for peaceful purposes. We are ready to remove all concern and to respond to all questions raised by the "five plus" countries in this regard.