BICOM

At a rally to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the country’s President Hassan Rouhani pledged that there would be no end to Tehran’s nuclear development.

Speaking just a week ahead of scheduled talks between Iran and the international community over a long-term resolution to Iran’s nuclear development, Rouhani said “I want to expressly announce that the movement of the Iranian nation towards the peaks of scientific and technical progress and advancement, including peaceful nuclear technology, will be forever.”

Rouhani also railed against global leaders who insist that military action could still be used to prevent Iran’s nuclear weaponization, saying, “I say explicitly to those delusional people who say the military option is on the table, that they should change their glasses.”

Talks between Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) are set to take place on 18 February, during which the two sides will discuss a permanent agreement over Tehran’s nuclear programme. In November, the two sides agreed a six-month deal under which Iran halted its development of 20 per cent enriched uranium in return for limited sanctions relief.

However, US President Barack Obama yesterday warned companies against considering business with Iran while the bulk of sanctions remain in place. At a press conference, he said that Western companies are exploring potential business opportunities in Iran “at their own peril” and warned “we will come down on them like a ton of bricks with respect to the sanctions that we control.”

Meanwhile, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee inquiry into British policy in Iran continued yesterday, by hearing evidence from BICOM Senior Research Fellow Alan Johnson. Professor Johnson told the committee that the West should try to seize the diplomatic opportunity but should not be “starry eyed” about President Rouhani. Johnson quoted from Rouhani’s memoirs from his time as nuclear negotiator in 2003, when he boasted of negotiating in Tehran, whilst Iran continued to build nuclear facilities at Ishfahan.