Iran president vows not to abandon nuclear enrichment

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Apr. 24 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected on Monday a demand by the Untied Nations Security Council for the Islamic Republic to suspend its uranium enrichment activities by April 28. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Apr. 24 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected on Monday a demand by the Untied Nations Security Council for the Islamic Republic to suspend its uranium enrichment activities by April 28.

“Iran must have its own nuclear fuel”, Ahmadinejad told reporters at a press conference.

He called on the West not to stand up to Iran over its sensitive nuclear work.

“Iran is a nuclear country”, Ahmadinejad said.

Asked whether Tehran would heed the call by the Security to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, the hard-line president said, “The UN Security Council must operate in a legal framework”.

Tehran would not accept “bullying” demands even if they came from the Security Council, Ahmadinejad said, adding that by making such a demand the international body was “loosing credibility”.

“We want our rights”, he said, adding that the era in which Tehran would be willing to make concessions was over.

Asked whether Iran was willing to consider a Russian proposal aimed at averting an international crisis whereby Iran would enrich uranium exclusively on Russian soil, Ahmadinejad said, “Which proposal? Russia has enrichment and we have enrichment … six months have passed since [Russia’s”> proposal”.