Iran initially sought to develop a nuclear bomb to strengthen its deterrent forces but was unable to maintain the secrecy of the program, a former deputy speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and former member of parliament stated on Sunday.

"From the very beginning, when we entered the nuclear activity, our goal was to build a bomb and strengthen the deterrent forces, but we could not maintain the secrecy of this issue, and the secret reports were revealed by the group of hypocrites," Ali Motahari told Iran-based Iscanews, referring to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition of opposition parties.

He said a country that wants to use nuclear power peacefully never starts enrichment but first establishes a reactor and then enters the field of enrichment.

"But the fact that we enrich directly creates the illusion that we want to make a bomb," noted Motahari.

The opinion of the country's current leader is that developing a nuclear bomb is absolutely illegal, he added.

'Always peaceful'

Meanwhile, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said the country's nuclear program has always been peaceful and has never had a military aim.

Speaking to Nournews, a news website affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, an official from the AEOI who asked not to be named rejected Motahari's remarks.

"Iran's peaceful nuclear program has never been militarily oriented. The explanations of unauthorized persons on this subject are due to their ignorance or their special political approaches," he added.

Officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly cited a fatwa, or ruling, issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declaring the use of chemical and nuclear weapons "haram," or forbidden.