Iran said it had been vindicated after the UN nuclear agency concluded that traces of highly enriched uranium found on centrifuge parts in Iran had entered the country on imported equipment and were not a result of Iranian enrichment activities.
The findings by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supported Iran's claims that the material entered the country together with centrifuge parts from Pakistan.
The discovery of traces of highly enriched uranium in Iran had been used as evidence by the US that Tehran was experimenting the production of highly enriched uranium, which is only used in nuclear weapons.
The traces were found on centrifuges at the uranium enrichment plant in the central Iranian city of Natanz and Kalaye Electric site, west of Tehran, two years ago and raised concerns about the motives behind Iran's nuclear activities.
The US claims Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to secretly develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the charge, saying its nuclear program is designed only to generate electricity.
Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, on Tuesday said the findings prove Iran was right and the US was wrong.
"Accurate scientific investigation by the IAEA has proved that US accusations were unfounded," state-run television quoted Saeedi as saying on Tuesday.
Saeedi said the time had come for the West, including Europeans, to trust Iranian intentions.
"Given the fact that Iran has been cleared of the accusations and that its statements have been approved, there is no justification for Western countries not to trust Iran," he said.
Prominent political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand concurred: "The findings by IAEA mean future pressures on Iran over its nuclear program will be only politically motivated without any legal value."
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
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