Iran's Fars news agency reports that a senior Iranian nuclear official has declared that Tehran will join the "world nuclear club" within a month to deter possible attacks on the country.
In a report published Tuesday, Fars quotes the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization as saying "no country would even think about attacking Iran" after it joins the nuclear club.
Fars also quotes the official, Behzad Soltani, as saying Iran plans to expand nuclear technology for "purposes other than energy and fuel production." In the report, Soltani cites technology for preserving food as an example. He did not elaborate further.
There was no immediate reaction from U.S. officials.
Washington and its allies accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian energy program - a charge Tehran has denied repeatedly.
In a separate report, Fars quotes a senior Iranian commander as saying Iran's enemies will "not dare to attack" the country due to what he calls its deterrent power and advanced military technologies. Fars says Army General Manouchehr Kazzemi made the comment Tuesday in a news conference.
