Dubai: Rejecting the US charge that it has been secretly developing the two new facilities to make nuclear weapons, Iran on December 14 said its nuclear energy activities were for "peaceful objectives" and were in accordance with the international rules and conventions.

"We have no nuclear activity or studies outside the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Iranian government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh told the official news agency IRNA in Tehran.

CNN on December 12 cited unnamed US officials as claiming that American satellites had spotted two Iranian places, one in the central city of Arak and the other in Natanz in the Isfahan province, which suggested they could be used for making nuclear weapons.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi stressed that Iran's nuclear energy activities were for "peaceful objectives" and denounced US claims as being aimed at diverting the world public opinion from the Zionist Israeli regime's threats.

"Such American propaganda against Iran is not new and is intended to divert the world public opinion from the Zionist regime's threats to the region at this sensitive juncture," he said.

"Iran believes it has the right to carry out necessary researches for peaceful use of nuclear energy and no country can deprive it from this natural right," Asefi added.

The official reiterated that the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities were "very transparent and under repeated supervision" of the IAEA.

"Iran's steps in the field of using nuclear energy are in accordance with international rules and conventions," he added.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly announced that its nuclear activities are for civilian purposes and opened the facilities to regular supervision of the IAEA, which has confirmed their peaceful intentions.

Washington has already been claiming that Iran may use its under-construction plant in southern Bushehr, built with Russian assistance, for developing nuclear arms.

Both Iran and Russia have rejected these allegations. Moscow announced in August that it intended to build the second plant in Bushehr.

Iran has also said its bid to complete the plant, "given the 'enormous sum' that the country has already spent on its construction".

PTI