Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline President of Iran, launched an angry tirade against the West on Saturday, accusing it of a ”dark ages” mentality and threatening retaliation unless it recognised his country’s nuclear ambitions.
In a blistering assault, Ahmadinejad repeated the Islamic regime’s position that it would press ahead with a nuclear programme despite threats by the European Union and United States to refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council, where it could face possible sanctions. He added that Iran was a ”civilised nation” that did not need such weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is a wholly peaceful attempt to generate electricity.
Addressing a rare press conference in Tehran, he appeared to issue thinly veiled threats against Western countries, implying that they could face serious consequences unless they backed down. ”You need us more than we need you. All of you today need the Iranian nation,” Ahmadinejad said. ”Why are you putting on airs? You don’t have that might.”
Reminding the West that it had supported the monarchical regime of the former Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi — overthrown in the 1979 Islamic revolution — he went on: ”Those same powers have done their utmost to oppress us, but this nation, because of its dignity, has forgiven them to a large extent. But if they persist with their present stance, maybe the day will come when the Iranian nation will reconsider.” He added: ”If they want to deny us our rights, we have ways to secure those rights.”
Ahmadinejad, an ultra-Islamist populist elected last June, did not elaborate on his apparent threat. But Iran is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and analysts have predicted that any disruption to its supplies could have a grave impact on global markets.
The Iranian president’s outburst — the latest in a series asserting Iran’s nuclear rights and questioning Israel’s right to exist — came after the EU last week effectively abandoned two-and-a-half years of negotiations with the Iranians. The move came after Iran decided to remove UN seals at a nuclear plant in Natanz, enabling it to resume research into uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to produce a nuclear weapon.
The EU, backed by the United States, is calling for an emergency meeting of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to discuss Iran’s possible referral to the security council. The next phase of the intensifying diplomatic pressure on Iran is expected to take place in London on Monday when officials from the EU, US, Russia and China gather to discuss future strategy.
Ahmadinejad accused the West of misusing bodies such as the UN and IAEA. ”Why are you damaging the good name of the security council and IAEA for you own political purposes?” he asked. ”Don’t take away the credibility of legitimate forums. Your arsenals are full to the brim, yet when it’s the turn of a nation such as mine to develop peaceful nuclear technology you object and resort to threats.”
In an apparent effort to cast the nuclear issue as one that could unite all Iranians and appeal to nationalist sentiment, Ahmadinejad spoke against the backdrop of a picture of the Damavand volcano, widely seen as a patriotic, non-religious symbol. But he did not withdraw his remarks, warning that Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who on Friday condemned his comments as ”unacceptable”, would be tried as ”terrorists” and ”war criminals” due to their support of Israel.
German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler on Saturday called for travel restrictions on Iran’s politicians. He told German radio that economic sanctions would be ”a very dangerous path” and could hurt both sides. Germany is the biggest exporter to Iran. – Guardian Unlimited Â