China: Iran has right to nuclear program

Iran should be allowed to pursue a nuclear energy program that doesn't involve atomic weapons, said Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi, Reuters reported. Yang, speaking in Iran on a visit to meet with president Mahmoud Ahmanidejad, said the country had "the right" to peaceful use of nuclear energy and that he believed Iran's claim that it had no intention to develop nuclear weapons. The foreign ministry again rejected the use of sanctions against Iran but urged it to cooperate with Western powers and the International Atomy Energy Agency. The US has been calling for tougher sanctions against Iran because it suspects the nation of developing nuclear weapons. China said "peaceful negotiation" must be used to determine the purpose of Iran's nuclear plans.