TEHRAN, 9 December 2007 — Iran has sent a protest letter to the United States accusing it of spying on the Islamic state’s nuclear activities, the official IRNA news reported yesterday, quoting the country’s foreign minister. The letter, submitted to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which handles US interests, was in response to a US intelligence report published on Monday, which said Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
“The ministry submitted a letter to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran ... demanding explanations over America’s espionage on Iran’s nuclear case,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Mottaki, addressing students in Tehran, said the letter was submitted shortly after the report was released in Washington. He said the report itself made clear surveillance satellites and other espionage operations were used.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday declared victory over the United States following the release of the report, which contradicted the Bush administration’s allegations that Tehran was actively seeking a nuclear weapon. US President George W. Bush said on Tuesday Iran remained a danger because it was mastering technology with a military use. But the report appeared likely to increase resistance from Russia and China to US demands for further United Nations sanctions against Iran.
