‘Iran has right to peaceful nuclear technology’

Islamabad:Ali Sarwar Naqvi, executive director, Centre for International Security Studies, has said that Iran has a right to peaceful nuclear technology being a signatory of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) so long as it met its treaty obligations.

Mr Naqvi was addressing a roundtable discussion organised here by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). Mr Naqvi shared a detailed historical overview of Iran’s nuclear program. He also touched upon the international community’s suspicions about Iran’s nuclear programme and noted that despite Iran’s compliance with certain inspections, considerable doubts persisted leading to heightened tensions and breakdown of negotiations with the permanent UNSC members and Germany (P5+1).

Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, traced the evolution of Iran’s nuclear posture through three phases. He highlighted Iran’s initial nuclear developments under Atoms for Peace programme of the US in 1950s, its eventual signing of the NPT in 1970s and its current uranium enrichment activities following US withdrawal from Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).