Beqaei: Our Nuclear Program is Completely Peaceful

According to Saed News, Esmail Beqaei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently gave an interview to the BBC World Service regarding issues related to the aggression against our country. The full text is as follows:

Question: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that Iran will give the necessary response, and your representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also emphasized that Iran reserves the right to neutralize any threat at the appropriate time and place. What are Iran’s current options for response?

Answer: Thank you. The important point is that Iran is currently under military aggression; an aggressive war imposed without cause by Israel and then by the United States. It is now clear that these two regimes have been accomplices in the attack on my country. How we respond will be determined by our military forces, but what is clear is that Israel has attacked our residential areas and hospitals. Many residential buildings have been damaged, and civilians have been killed and injured over the past eleven days. I believe this is something the international community must respond to and unanimously condemn. It is important that the facts are not distorted or obscured.

Question: Regarding the facts and circumstances you described, is Iran ready to restore internet access so that journalists can see what is happening in Iran and report it to the world?

Answer: Journalists are currently present in Iran. I interviewed CNN yesterday. Soon, a group of BBC journalists will also travel to Iran. Other foreign journalists will also enter Iran to see with their own eyes what is happening in the cities, public places, and to our people.

Question: Will the people of Iran have internet access?

Answer: Yes. The point is that due to the current situation, we face cyberattack threats. Therefore, some restrictions have been imposed. But the facts must be told. Today, your network referred to the attacks by the [Israeli] regime on our cities as attacks on "militant targets." This is not true; in fact, attacks were carried out on public places, universities, and university professors, especially on the first day, resulting in their assassination, and these attacks continue.

Question: Let’s talk specifically about some of these attacks, especially the US attack on three Iranian nuclear sites carried out from Saturday night to Sunday morning. President Trump said this attack was "massive" and those facilities were "completely destroyed." What can you tell us about the extent of the damage?

Answer: In my opinion, it is truly shameful and unacceptable to describe such an aggressive and criminal act with nice words. Please show me one international law that allows any country—even if it is a permanent member of the Security Council and a custodian of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)—to attack another country’s peaceful facilities that are fully supervised and officially inspected by the IAEA. Therefore, this attack was completely illegal and criminal.

You asked about the extent of the damage? The important issue is not the amount of damage; the important issue is the act itself—a blatant aggression without any reason by the United States.

Question: Regarding Iran’s capabilities for uranium enrichment to weapons-grade levels, we have heard from the IAEA that they are ready and willing to enter and inspect the status of these three facilities. We have also heard that Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, received a letter from the Iranian Foreign Minister dated June 13 stating that Iran would take special measures to protect its nuclear equipment and materials. We have also seen an image showing several trucks queued outside the Fordow site days before the attack. So the question is: Did Iran remove these materials from the sites before the attack, and if so, where are these materials now? Can you say if these materials were still on site at the time of the attack or if they had been moved as the Foreign Minister claimed?

Answer: The serious question is whether the international community will properly fulfill its responsibility regarding this blatant aggression or not. Iran’s nuclear program has always been under the strictest inspections by the IAEA. Please show me one IAEA report indicating that Iran’s nuclear program has been diverted towards developing nuclear weapons. Even the latest IAEA reports make no reference to Iran’s non-compliance. Therefore, our nuclear program has been completely peaceful.

Question: But the question is: Exactly where is your nuclear program? The question remains whether sensitive materials were removed before the attacks or are still at their original sites. Can you explain this to us?

Answer: I emphasize again this is a secondary issue. The main point is why the IAEA and the UN Security Council do not unanimously condemn this aggression. Because no international law allows anyone to target another country’s peaceful program. This is exactly what the UN Security Council and the IAEA Board of Governors must address.

Question: The Iranian Foreign Minister is currently in Moscow and has met with President Putin. What does the Islamic Republic want from its allies, including China and Russia? Specifically, what are your expectations from President Putin?

Answer: We have consulted with many countries in the region and beyond. If you noticed, just yesterday a resolution was issued by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemning the Israeli and US attacks on Iran.

Therefore, we are consulting with almost all countries. Indeed, every single UN member must be aware of the seriousness of the issue, because this is a deadly blow to international law, the UN Charter, the non-proliferation regime, and also UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Note that Russia, three European countries, the European Union, and China are all members of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which remains a living and active document and is annexed to UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Therefore, the US attack against Iran is actually a gross violation of Resolution 2231— a resolution that the United States itself proposed and drafted in 2015, and which was unanimously adopted by the Security Council to support Iran’s nuclear program.