“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to have active contribution
towards Tanzania’s economic development especially in areas of science
and technology, vocational training, and trade relations with Tanzanian
companies
Dr Mahdi Aghajafari, IRan’s Ambassador to Tanzania
In the last one decade, the Islamic
Republic of Iran has been under intense international pressure because
of its controversial nuclear enrichment project. Iran insists on its
right to nuclear research and technology, saying the contested project
is only for peaceful purposes without any military intentions, while
international opponents, led by the US, say it is. The Islamic
Republic’s ambassador to Dar es Salaam, Dr Mahdi Aghajafari, presents
the official viewpoint of the controversial project in an interview with
the Political Platform Guest Columnist Charles Kayoka. Excerpts...
QUESTION: You have a new president in Iran, what new policy directions does the new government offer?
ANSWER: Last June Iranians
participated in one of the most important historic elections which saw
the current President, Dr Hassan Rowhani, take over power.
His election sent a message to the whole world of
the trend of democratic governance, freedom and justice in Iran. It also
brings in a new era of moderate international politics.
We can say that the election and Dr Rowhani’s victory was a symbolic call to moderation in international relations.
The new government’s approach in international
relations and diplomacy is one that promotes mutual respect for
countries’ interests and one that demands states see Iran as a sovereign
nation.
In our new drive, our foreign policy is trained
towards exploitation of international possibilities for our county’s
economic development.
The new government is ready to interact with all
regions and countries in a range of issues such as the environment,
security of nuclear power plants, common economic projects, trade
development, management of human disasters, as a result of, among other
factors, civil wars as is the case with Syria, Palestinian rights,
security of the Persian Gulf and terrorism and extremism.
It is also our hope that with the new president’s
direction, new policy directions will evolve with the aim of enhancing
regional (Mid-East) cooperation in areas such as the economy, politics
and culture.
What of the controversial nuclear project?
First, developing nuclear research for military
purposes, to create weapons of mass destruction, is against ethics and
teachings of Islam. Islam does not order Muslims to kill others in order
to solve issues that can be solved amicably. Nuclear power cannot make
a country stronger. We have seen countries in the world which have
crumbled despite having stockpiles of nuclear arsenal and other weapons
of mass destruction.
Moreover, successive administrations of the
Islamic Republic of Iran have always insisted that the research on
nuclear technology in our country is for peaceful purposes, there are no
other intentions. We find nuclear power as an alternative to providing
sustainable source of energy. We all know that Petroleum is a
non-renewable energy, we find nuclear is the alternative for now.
Moreover, nuclear research is also engaged in order to find cure to
various maladies that trouble people. We can treat a lot of illnesses
using nuclear technology. Thus the whole fuss about nuclear weapons
being developed in Iran is just propaganda by some forces in the world
who want to achieve their own goals through this mudslinging campaign
against the Islamic Republic.
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