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Doha: A top UN envoy has said that Iran could restart its nuclear weapons programme, after a US report last week said Iran halted its plan in 2003 but continues to enrich uranium for nuclear fuel.
Ambassador Gregory Schulte, US Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) made public by the US administration last week noted that Iran backed off from a covert nuclear weapons programme but its leadership continues to keep open the option to pursue nuclear weapons.
"The report says that despite halting the nuclear weapons programme in 2003, Iran still could have the capability to produce enough material for a nuclear weapon between 2010 and 2015," said Schulte.
"Iranian Foreign Minister this week called the NIE 'proof' that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, but denied that Iran had a nuclear weapons programme previously. Given Iran's history of denials and concealment about its nuclear programme, we are not willing to simply take his word for it."
Schulte was addressing a debate on 'Nuclear Proliferation at a Crossroads' in Doha.
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