The US television network CNN apologized to the Islamic Republic of Iran for twisting the remarks of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadineyad, during a news conference broadcasted live on January 14, 2006.

The CNN interpreter put in the mouth of the President the following words: “We believe that all nations should be authorized to have nuclear weapons” and the West should not “prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons”. But what Ahmadineyad said was that “Iran has the right to nuclear energy”. The Iranian President, however, had made it very clear that Iran was a nation “culturally and historically rich” enough that did not need to equip itself with nuclear weapons. But the television network believes that it was just a simple “translation mistake”.

The United States is trying to convince the international community that Iran is secretly planning to develop nuclear weapons, although the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have said that no evidence has been found whatsoever that would corroborate such accusation.

The Iranian Shia community has always opposed the development, possession and use of the atomic bomb which, according to them, is contrary to Islam.