Iranian nuclear chief: Nuclear weapons are not part of defense doctrine Winter storm in Iowa throws Republican election campaign into disarray

Iran’s nuclear chief has reiterated that his country is not seeking nuclear weapons. “The possession of weapons of mass destruction has never had a place in the security and defense doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mohammed Eslami said in a television interview on Saturday. He was responding to the question of whether, given the conflict with Israel, it was not the time to have an atomic bomb or at least conduct a nuclear test.

Eslami also justified this with a fatwa, a religious legal opinion, from Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian head of state banned weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, Iran has been intensifying the production of highly enriched uranium for several years after the standstill in nuclear negotiations. Experts accuse the country of unlikely peaceful uses of uranium, which could almost be used for weapons. Tehran claims it will use its nuclear program only for civilian purposes.

Since the founding of the Islamic Republic 45 years ago, Israel has been considered Iran’s arch-enemy. The government had repeatedly threatened the Jewish state with destruction. Israel, in turn, is said to have nuclear weapons, but has never made this public. (sda/dpa)