Iran denounces Merkel's comments on Iran nuke program

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihmanparast on Thursday denounced German Chancellor Angela Merkel for saying nuclear Iran is "not acceptable," the official IRNA news agency reported.

Mihmanparast said what the German chancellor said at the U.S. Congress about Iran's nuclear program "was against the interests of the German people," the report said.

"Merkel raises baseless allegations against Iran, while the country is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the peaceful nature of its nuclear program has repeatedly been confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency," Mihmanparastwas quoted as saying.

He criticized the German government for its "double standard and unacceptable policy" towards Iran, noting that Berlin has already equipped the Israeli army with a number of Dolphin class submarines, according to IRNA.

Addressing the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, Merkel said, "A nuclear bomb in the hands of an Iranian president who denies the Holocaust, threatens Israel and denies Israel's existence is not acceptable."

Israel, the United States and some other Western countries have been accusing Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under the guise of civilian programs. Israel has so far refused to rule out the military option against Iran's nuclear sites.

While Iran insists that its nuclear plan is only for peaceful purposes, it also announced that the Middle East should be free from all nuclear weapons, referring to Israel which is widely suspected to possess nuclear weapons.

Source: Xinhua