Iran's President Mohammad Khatami called on the United States Sunday to accept Tehran's right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes if it wants to see an improvement in ties between the two countries.
Khatami singled out U.S. criticism of Iran's nuclear program. Iran says its nuclear facilities are geared to producing electricity, not bombs and last month signed an international protocol binding it to snap inspections of its nuclear facilities.
"They have wrongly accused us of having nuclear weapons," Khatami told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Tehran.
"We have signed the additional protocol and if the Americans have good will now they should take back their words and also accept our legal right to have peaceful nuclear technology under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency."
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