IRAN: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has said Tehran had never sought to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
"Iran has never been after weapons of mass destruction," Mr Khatami told a news conference at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
"We vehemently oppose the manufacture and production of nuclear weapons. For this reason, we extend sincere and honest co-operation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he said. In response to a question, Mr Khatami said: "I categorically deny that there was shipment of nuclear material by (North) Korea to Iran. We have nothing to hide."
The US views with scepticism Tehran's insistence its nuclear programme is aimed only at generating electrical energy. It has put pressure on the IAEA to make a declaration to this effect.
In Davos, Mr Khatami also rejected suggestions he would resign over a ban on reformist politicians standing in next month's parliamentary elections. When asked whether the vote would be free and fair, Mr Khatami said: "Yes, I hope so. All of my efforts will go in this direction."
Earlier yesterday, the stakes in Iran's current political crisis were raised when a senior Iranian official said several ministers and vice-presidents had tendered their resignations. Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abtahi told reporters that "a number of cabinet ministers and a number of vice-presidents have resigned".
But when reports emerged that those who had "resigned" were still working in their offices, Mr Abtahi clarified that his remarks were a reiteration of previous resignation threats.
Earlier this month, the Guardian Council, an unelected body of Iran's theocratic leadership, barred over 3,000 reformist candidates from standing in the February 20th parliamentary elections. Since then, 80 MPs have held a sit-in and dawn-to-dusk fasts in the parliamentary building, vowing to continue their protest.
Yesterday's mixed signals and clarifications threw light on the confusion within the reformist camp. Repeated threats by reformists to resign now garner little public excitement - they have failed to carry out similar threats in the past. But political analysts here say resignation remains the only viable option.
"It is the only possibility left for them," Iranian academic Mr Mahmoud Alinejad said. "They (the reformists) have no footing left in place. By resigning, they would save face, show resistance and find some public credibility."