World - Nuclear Bomb era has ended,says Iran

Atul Aneja
DUBAI: Iran has released some details of an advanced rocket, which it claimed would soon be used to launch its satellite amid fears that Tehran was working on an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Iranian state television quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying the rocket would have 16 engines and would take a satellite some 688 km into space.
Last month, Iran had tested a rocket and had stated that one day, it would carry an all-Iranian research satellite. The technology which is used for launching satellites is also applicable for long-range ballistic missiles.
Analysts point out that by making the announcement, Iran’s leaders seek to convey their country’s march to technological self-sufficiency in frontier areas of science is both necessary and unstoppable. Essential
In New York, Mr. Ahmadinejad said it was essential for Iran to carry out uranium enrichment independently because dependence on foreign suppliers was risky.
“What guarantee do we have that they would give [the nuclear fuel] to us?’ he said. He pointed out that American and European companies had cancelled contracts for power plants and other projects after Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979.
Mr. Ahmadinejad explained why his country was not interested in atomic weapons. “The time for the atomic bomb has come to an end. If the atomic bomb could do any good, it would have kept the Soviet Union from collapsing,’ he said, adding: “Those who stockpile or build the atomic bomb are backward thinking.”