Ahmadinejad, whose secretive nuclear program has sparked international alarm, has asked Iranian composers to honor "national pride" with their compositions. The program has already inspired many other musical works, the country's Ministry of Culture said in a statement, because "nuclear (energy) is our inalienable right," according to ADN Kronos.

The UK-based web site Stopfundamentalism.com, however, reports that the Persian language daily Rouz says Iran's Ministry of Culture asked musicians to compose works about "peaceful nuclear energy," into which category the "Nuclear Symphony" apparently falls.