Rouhani: We don’t need a nuclear bomb
In a speech in Esfahan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that Iran does not need a nuclear bomb to secure its safety.
As Iranian and the Western negotiators continue to work toward a settlement to the decade-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, a number of Iranian officials have made statements addressing concerns that Iran may be seeking a nuclear bomb.
The latest statement comes from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was elected in 2013 in hopes of de-escalating tensions with the West by reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal that would remove international sanctions against Iran.
During a speech at Esfahan’s historic Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Rouhani told critics who accuse Iran of clandestinely using its nuclear program to acquire a nuclear weapon, “You who have built an atom bomb, and have given the criminal occupying Zionist regime the atom bomb, have you been able to create security for yourselves and this regime with these bombs?”
Rouhani said, “We don’t need an atom bomb. We have a great, devoted and united nation. We have a dear youth that, despite all the pressure and sanctions, launched a satellite into space.”
