Iran says storing nukes is ‘retarded’

Published on 09/11/2012 00:00

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the age of nuclear deterrence is long gone and any country still stockpiling nuclear weapons was “mentally retarded”.

He again denied that Iran was trying to develop nuclear ­weapons.

“The period and era of using nuclear weapons is over…

“Nuclear bombs are not anymore helpful and those who are stockpiling nuclear weapons, politically they are backward, and they are mentally retarded,” Mr Ahmadinejad told reporters at a forum to promote democracy on the Indonesian island of Bali.

“The Iranian nation is not seeking an atomic bomb, nor do they need to build an atomic bomb… For defending ourselves we do not need a nuclear weapon,” said Mr Ahmadinejad.

He added that representatives of any government or agency could visit the Islamic Republic to verify that it was not developing nuclear weapons. Iran says it is enriching uranium only for peaceful energy purposes but it restricts access for UN nuclear inspectors and has concealed some sensitive sites from them in the past.

The hardline conservative president said he was open to talks with US president Barack Obama on forging peace around the world and called for the dismantling of all American military bases abroad.

Mr Ahmadinejad dismissed the US election as a “battleground for the capitalists”.