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Summary Iran parliamentary committee has approved a bill to design nuclear-powered merchant ships.
Iran says it is designing a nuclear submarine. But nuclear-powered ships other than warships are rare and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said in the past that such merchant ships would be uneconomical.The bill appears to be a symbolic gesture to bolster Tehrans argument that it has a right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. The West says Irans nuclear program is aimed at developing weapons technology, a charge Tehran denies.Lawmaker Mohammad Bayatian is quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as saying Sunday that the bill will be debated in the parliament next week.
