New York Times: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Wednesday that Iran would not back down from its nuclear ambitions and said his country would soon start producing nuclear fuel on an industrial scale. The New York Times
By NAZILA FATHI
Published: January 4, 2007
TEHRAN, Jan. 3 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Wednesday that Iran would not back down from its nuclear ambitions and said his country would soon start producing nuclear fuel on an industrial scale.
Iran has the fuel cycle, and very soon we will push the button on nuclear fuel production for industrial uses, Mr. Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the southern city of Ghotvand in Khuzestan Province, according to the ISNA news agency.
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution late last month banning the trade of goods and technology that could benefit Irans uranium enrichment, reprocessing and ballistic missile systems. Enriched uranium can be used for making nuclear weapons or as fuel for nuclear plants.
The resolution gave Iran a two-month deadline to suspend its enrichment program, but Iran says that it has the right to enrich uranium as a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The Iranian people will not retreat one iota from their rights, Mr. Ahmadinejad vowed Wednesday, adding that Iran would celebrate its nuclear achievements in February, on the 28th anniversary of the victory of the Iranian revolution of 1979.
The Iranian people have made their decision to continue this path wisely and will not pay attention to empty cries of the materialists and the bullying of the decadent powers, he said.
Other senior officials have also warned that Iran would not surrender in the face of pressure.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an influential cleric and head of the Expediency Council, warned last week that pressing Iran could have consequences.
This is a very dangerous resolution, he said during Friday Prayer at Tehran University. They are creating problems for themselves and the region, he said, adding that many will suffer from the smoke of this fire.
One former nuclear negotiator for Iran, Hossein Moussavian, warned the nations current negotiators on Wednesday that ignoring the resolution and calling it illegal would not help. He said the resolution could have severe consequences for Iran, ISNA reported. We can say inside the country that this resolution is illegal, but we have to have a correct understanding of the international communitys considerations, he was quoted as saying.
