Madam, - In theory Iran, like all states, possesses the right to pursue nuclear research for use in energy production. But given the country's abundance of oil and gas reserves the Iranian government cannot possibly be endeavouring to enrich uranium out of necessity.
Moreover, if Iran is indeed pursuing nuclear research for such economic ends, the government should welcome multilateral involvement, for it would prove it had peaceful objectives. The fact that it resists such overtures increases the likelihood that the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran wishes to pursue its nuclear programme to develop a nuclear weapons capacity.
The government and people of Iran may feel they are being treated harshly by the international community. However, in light of President Ahmadinejad's irresponsible and bellicose comments with regards to Israel, it is clear that if Iran had a nuclear arsenal it would pose a serious threat to Israel and very possibly to its Sunni Arab neighbours. - Yours, etc,
GARY QUINN,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Madam, - Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern's support for the current wide-scale expression of concern about Iran's nuclear intentions raises once again the question of a balanced response to the nuclear issue in the Middle East.
Iran is not the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear ambitions and, as yet, there is no clear evidence that its ambitions extend to the development of nuclear weapons. However, Israel already has a considerable stockpile of such weapons and a central difference between the two is that while the Iranians seem at least to accept (to a limited extent) the authority of, and inspections by, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Israel neither accepts the authority of the IAEA nor permits any inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Mr Ahern, to his credit, has not been silent on these issues in the past. In an address to the seventh review conference of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in New York on May 2nd last year, he said: "It has to be a serious concern that India, Pakistan and Israel have chosen to remain outside the Non Proliferation Treaty regime. I would again urge all three countries to accede unconditionally at an early date."
Since that is the Minister's official view of these matters it surely follows that if he supports an EU call for the referral of Iran to the UN Security Council because of a suspicion that it may have unsavoury nuclear ambitions, he should also urge the EU to call for the referral of Israel, whose nuclear ambitions are no longer just a matter of suspicion. - Yours, etc,
HARRY McCAULEY,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.