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Tehran, Dec 14, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi here Saturday rejected any Iranian concealment of two nuclear facilities which US officials have claimed the Islamic Republic was clandestinely developing to possibly build nuclear weapons.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran's activities in this field are totally transparent, clear and peaceful and there is no secrete and obscure point on the launch of these (plants) in the future," Kharrazi said, adding "basically there is no possibility of concealing such centers."
He said Tehran had invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect both the facilities as he dismissed US posture that a new finding had been made in this respect.
"We have been in contacts with the IAEA over these two centers and we will officially invite them for inspections since the agency must inspect them and carry out their necessary planning and supervision before the centers are implemented," Kharrazi added.
CNN on Thursday cited unnamed US officials as claiming that American satellites had spotted two Iranian places, one in the central city of Arak and the other in Natanz in the central province of Isfahan, which suggested they could be used for making nuclear weapons.
Kharrazi stressed that the Islamic Republic had no plans for building nuclear weapons and all its efforts in the nuclear energy field were intended for peaceful objectives.
He said Iran wanted the two centers to generate part of its electricity needs.
"By the next 20 years, Iran has to produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity by nuclear plants and the launch of these two centers are aimed to produce necessary fuel for these plants," Kharrazi said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi on Friday stressed that Iran's nuclear energy activities were for "peaceful objectives" and denounced US claims as being aimed at diverting the world public opinion from the Zionist Israeli regime's threats.
"Such American propaganda against Iran is not new and is intended to divert the world public opinion from the Zionist regime's threats to the region at this sensitive juncture," he said.
"Iran believes it has the right to carry out necessary researches for peaceful use of nuclear energy and no country can deprive it from this natural right," Asefi added.
"Iran's steps in the field of using nuclear energy are in accordance with international rules and conventions," he added.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly announced that its nuclear activities are for civilian purposes and opened the facilities to regular supervision of the IAEA which has confirmed their peaceful intentions.
Washington has already been claiming that Iran may use its under-construction plant in southern Bushehr, built with Russian assistance, for developing nuclear arms.
Both Iran and Russia have rejected these allegations. Moscow announced in August that it intended to build the second plant in Bushehr.
The Islamic Republic has also reiterated its bid to complete the plant, "given the 'enormous sum' which the country has already spent on its construction."
"We don't pay attention to threats and are determined to finish the works on the Bushehr station," Asefi said in August.
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