In an iftar gathering the Islamic tradition of breaking the fast at dusk during the month of Ramadan Ahmadinejad told hard-line Majlis deputies and leaders of ultra-Islamist factions that Tehran would not back down in its nuclear standoff with the West. The Revolutionary Guards commander-turned-President sternly proclaimed that Iran had nuclear rights and vowed that it would achieve the full nuclear fuel cycle.
The meeting was held behind closed doors and no reporters were present, but some of those present later spoke to reporters.
Among the participants at the ceremony were the heads of some of the most powerful ultra-conservative groupings allied to the hard-line President. They included Mohammad-Reza Bahonar, secretary-general of the Islamic Association of Engineers, and Habibollah Asgar-Owladi, secretary-general of the Front of Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Supreme Leader; and top officials from the Motalefeh Party and Issargaran [literally, those who have made sacrifices”> of the Islamic Revolution.
Asgar-Owladi congratulated the ultra-conservative camp for having secured victory in all three of the local councils, parliamentary, and presidential elections.
Islamists are prepared to extend their all-out support and sincere cooperation to the government, and we call on the President to create the grounds for us to present our suggestions to him, Asgar-Owladi said.
Among the ultra-conservative officials present at the gathering were the Majlis deputies from Tabriz, Damavand, Zabol, Kouhdasht, and Tehran.
