Saudi Arabia: Iran’s escalation casts doubts on the country’s intentions
Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi ambassador to Austria and governor of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that Iran’s bad attitude undermines any nuclear negotiations on Wednesday evening.
According to the Saudi ambassador in Vienna, Iran’s ambition to enrich uranium by 20% is alarming, who questions Iran’s true motives behind the move.
He went on to say that Iran is gaining irreversible nuclear experience and that its orientations confirm the pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
“What we are witnessing today of Iran’s pursuit of producing uranium metal with a 20% enrichment rate, without the necessary need to produce and develop it for peaceful purposes, is a matter of concern in terms of the true intentions behind it,” the Saudi ambassador wrote in a series of tweets.
He continued: “Iran’s activities undermine its assertions that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and they confirm its objectives and pursuit of nuclear weapons capability. The escalation programme prevents any conversation or negotiation, and it creates international concerns about Iran’s goals.”
That comes as an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said on Wednesday that Iran’s decision to develop enriched uranium with a purity of 20% is solely for peaceful purposes.
According to US and European sources, Iran’s action could lead to indirect discussions between Washington and Tehran.
This year, Iran has already manufactured a limited amount of unenriched uranium metal. That was a violation of the agreement, which prohibits all actions with uranium metal since it can be used to make the critical component of a nuclear weapon.
