Iran says NIE report a 'lie' by the U.S.

TEHRAN, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A spokesman for Iranian foreign policy officials said the United States politicized a report stating Iran abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Kazem Jalali of the Iranian Parliament's national security and foreign policy commission said Saturday the United States lied to the international community about the Iranian nuclear program, Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency reported Saturday.

"The claim that Iran had changed its nuclear weapons programs since 2003 is a mere lie to show that it was the U.S. pressures that forced Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program," Jalali said.

The National Intelligence Estimate, a compilation of the opinions of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, said Iran halted work on a nuclear weapons program in 2003.

"Unlike what was claimed by the 16 U.S. intelligence bodies, Iran has never pursued a program to develop nuclear weapons even before 2003 and this is another lie to deceive international community," Jalali said.