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Iran accuses U.S. of nuclear espionage

TEHRAN: Iran has sent a formal protest note to Washington for “spying” on Iran’s nuclear activities, said Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in the wake of the latest U.S. report on the alleged Iranian weapons programme.

Mr. Mottaki said the American report earlier this week concluding that Tehran halted atomic weapons development in 2003 and hadn’t resumed it since indicated U.S. intelligence agencies based their findings on “satellite and espionage activities,” according to the official IRNA news agency.

IRNA said the note was handed over to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which looks after U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington.

“The day the report was issued, the Foreign Ministry submitted a formal note of protest to the Swiss Embassy and demanded explanations over [America’s] espionage activities taking place,” Mr. Mottaki was quoted as saying.

The U.S. report, released on Monday, was a sharp turnaround from a previous intelligence assessment in 2005.

Iran has touted the report as a vindication of its claim that its nuclear programme is only peaceful.

Iranian officials insist Washington should take a less hawkish stance and drop attempts to impose new U.N. sanctions in light of the report’s conclusions. Mr. Mottaki said 70 per cent of the U.S. report was “true and positive,” but denied its allegations of Iran having had a nuclear weapons programme before 2003, according to footage provided by AP Television News.

“The remaining 30 per cent, in which they claim that Iran had a nuclear weapons programme before 2003 is wrong. They refused to confess about this 30 per cent because they did not want to lose all their reputation.” The U.S. and some of its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. — AP

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