- (AFP) -- Tehran denied it had any nuclear weapons programme
and reaffirmed its right to use nuclear technology for civil and "peaceful"
means.
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- "Iran's objectives are very clear and peaceful,"
foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi told AFP.
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- He was reacting to reports from unnamed US officials
on the CNN television channel Thursday that Iran is secretly building two
nuclear facilities which could be used to build nuclear weapons.
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- Iran considers "it is its right to use (nuclear
technology) for peaceful means," the Iranian spokesman said.
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- The two named sites, near the towns of Nantanz and Arak,
were identified through satellite images taken in September by the private
company, DigitalGlobe, said CNN, which aired the images.
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- Experts at the Institute for Science and International
Security, a Washington-based research center on the proliferation of nuclear
weapons, expressed concern after examining the images.
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- "Iran looks like it's building very large nuclear
facilities that could be part of an effort to make the material you need
to make nuclear weapons," said David Albright, a nuclear expert and
president of the institute.
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- Until now the only known Iranian nuclear facility was
in Bouchehr, which is expected to become operational in June 2004.
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