Obama Administration Says Iran’s Nuke Intentions Anything but Peaceful
Reacting to announcement of uranium enrichment by Tehran, the US has said that Iran’s claim only reflects that its nuclear intentions are anything but peaceful and alleged the country is resorting to total information blockade, said media reports.
“They have been boasting a lot of things for a number of years, but we do take their words seriously. To the extent they have indicated that they have begun enriching to 20 per cent, this is in violation of successive UNSC resolutions and, further solidifies our impression and that of international community that Iran’s nuclear intentions are anything but peaceful,” Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley was quoted as saying.
Mentioning public protests in Iran, Crowley said that based US monitoring of various networks, it seems that Tehran has tried a near-total-information blockade, said reports.
“It is an unprecedented and overwhelming step using force to intimidate their own people and to restrict freedom of assembly and freedom of expression,” he was quoted as saying.
“It is clear that the Iranian government fears its own people. We’ve seen reports that, the phone system has been taken down, text messaging has been taken down, satellite television has been jammed, the Internet has been throttled,” he was quoted as saying.
“It’s not about one company. It’s about the access of the Iranian people to information, the ability to communicate, the ability to express their views. And it is a remarkable step by the Iranian government,” he was quoted as saying.
The US is closely following developments in Iran, said White House according to reports.
“We continue to monitor events as they happen and try to get the best available information, understanding that a lot of media, Google, and other Internet services have been basically unplugged,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was quoted as saying.
“I think the (US) President was very clear in his speech in Oslo that we stand by the universal rights of Iranians to express themselves freely and to do so without intimidation or violence,” Gibbs said, referring to Obama’s speech after receiving the Nobel peace prize.
He said Google had not kept in touch with the White House regarding Iran, reports said.
He also said that the US had strong indications that Iran attempted to restrict access to the Internet, said reports.
“This is not about what outsiders are doing or alleged to be doing. This is about the fundamental relationship between the Iranian government and their people. It’s been eight months now since the election, and the Iranian people are determined. They continue to protest for their rights which we believe are universal principles, the freedom of assembly, the freedom to express their views,” Crowley was quoted as saying.
