Iranian MP: West will soon have to accept nuclear Iran

A senior Iranian lawmaker warned Western powers they would soon have to accept the reality of the country's nuclear advances, Iran's state news agency reported late on Saturday, days before talks are set to re-open on its disputed nuclear program.    

The head of the parliamentary committee for national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, was speaking at a ceremony in Mashhad in memory of what Iran describes as its nuclear martyrs; at least four scientists associated with Iran's nuclear program have been assassinated since 2010 and a fifth was wounded in a bomb attack.    

Western countries suspect Tehran of covertly developing a nuclear weapons program, accusations Iran has repeatedly denied. Both sides are set to take part in negotiations this week in an effort to find a solution to international concerns, though even the location of the talks has not yet been agreed.    

Boroujerdi said the P5+1 group of countries needed to change their policy because "confronting the Islamic Republic will not be to their benefit", the IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.    

"Honorable Iran will continue the debate about peaceful nuclear energy, and that moment isn't far away when the world will see that arrogant countries, led by America and Europe, will accept the reality of nuclear advances and Iran's membership into the nuclear club."    

He added that despite the climate of threats and sanctions, Iran had made great progress in its nuclear capability and was proficient in all stages of enrichment from mining raw uranium in Iranian mines, producing yellow cake (concentrated uranium powder), building centrifuges and injecting uranium gas into them.     

Reuters