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Iran censors old ayatollah letter

TEHRAN, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The Iranian national security agency has ordered the word "nuclear" removed from a 1998 letter written by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini posted on the Internet.

The letter was posted on the site of the Iranian Labor News Agency, and was written by Khomeini near the end of Iran's 8-year war with Iraq, The New York Times reported.

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In it Khomeini discussed what would be needed to win the war and said military sources had told him that would include "a considerable number of laser and nuclear weapons to confront the attacks."

ILNA posted the letter on Friday, but removed the word "nuclear" within a few hours after receiving a call from the Iranian National Security Council, a reporter who asked to remain anonymous told the Times.

Iran has ignored a U.N. Security Council deadline of Aug. 31 to stop enriching uranium, which can be used to create atomic weapons. The United States and Britain are leading proponents of having sanctions applied to force the cessation and a return to international discussion of the country's nuclear program.

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