In a phone interview with the radio, Shaykh Muhammad Sodiq Muhammad Yusuf commented on a recent "fatwa" issued by Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a prominent cleric and head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, on all Muslims’ supporting Iran’s "peaceful" nuclear activities, and said that the cleric’s fatwas were of great importance for the Islamic world.

In particular, regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, he said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran is announcing that its nuclear programme is aimed at [using nuclear energy] only for peaceful purposes, [producing] electricity for its needs and other activities, and that it is carrying out [nuclear] activities for peaceful purposes under the observation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and in front of the eyes of the whole world community. It is also proving this with documents and evidence.

Even Russia, one of the largest countries in the world, is also cooperating in this [nuclear activities], and China is also supporting. They are also guaranteeing that everything will be transparent. However, America and other countries are differently viewing these actions, which are aimed at peaceful purposes and improving the well-being of own people and the country, [words indistinct] and describing this as an attempt to create nuclear weapons. They do not have any documents or evidence proving this."

He also said that all this was motivated by "self-interest" and an intention to hinder Iran’s development.

Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran External Service, Mashhad, BBC Monitoring