TEHRAN -- Iranians are deeply divided on politics, the economy, the role of religion in government and a dress code for women. But reformers and conservatives, urban and rural, old and young, rich and poor, and men and women generally agree on one thing: Iran needs nuclear energy, and despite its oil and gas riches, the world should not deprive it of the technology, even though it could also be used to develop weapons.

Iranians cite four reasons for their increasingly fierce determination to acquire nuclear technology: the economics of oil, a population boom that is consuming more energy, regional security, and anger at what many perceive as a U.S. ultimatum that Iran end its nuclear program.

Iranian students formed a human chain around the Atomic Energy Organization in Tehran last week in support of the country's desire to acquire nuclear technology. (Raheb Homavandi -- Reuters) _____Religion News_____ • Reconciling Faith and the Field (The Washington Post, Nov 14, 2004) • Is the Capacity for Spirituality Determined by Brain Chemistry? (The Washington Post, Nov 13, 2004) • Liberal Christians Challenge 'Values Vote' (The Washington Post, Nov 10, 2004) • Evangelicals Say They Led Charge For the GOP (The Washington Post, Nov 8, 2004) • A Church on a Cultural Divide (The Washington Post, Nov 7, 2004) • More Religion Stories _____Free E-mail Newsletters_____ • Today's Headlines & Columnists See a Sample  |  Sign Up Now • Breaking News Alerts See a Sample  |  Sign Up Now      Copyright © 1998 - 2024 by IranANDWorld.Com. All rights reserved.