Bloomberg: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country won’t give in to Western requests to halt uranium enrichment, one day after the release of a UN atomic agency report which triggers new sanctions on Iran. By Ladane Nasseri
May 24 (Bloomberg) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country won’t give in to Western requests to halt uranium enrichment, one day after the release of a UN atomic agency report which triggers new sanctions on Iran.
“The enemies, in preventing us from using peaceful nuclear energy, are targeting the root” of the Islamic Republic, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by state television today. “If we stop for a second they will have achieved their aim.”
A report by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency transmitted to the Security Council yesterday said that Iran was defying UN orders to stop its enrichment program. The report will pave the way for discussion by the Security Council for a new round of sanctions against Iran.
The nuclear “path is irreversible,” Ahmadinejad said in a separate speech broadcast live on state television from the city of Isfahan today.
“Western powers are collecting their last political strength so that perhaps they can have a minor move against the movement of Iranian people but any action undertook in the coming days will be their last effort,” Ahmadinejad, pronounced ah-ma- deen-ah-ZHAD, said. “We will soon witness greater successes in the international arena for the Iranian people.”
The U.S. and some of its allies fear that Iran may be diverting uranium enrichment for military purposes. Iran rejects the charge, saying its nuclear drive is only for civilian purposes.
