Iran yesterday defied threats of further UN sanctions after the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed its controversial atomic program was expanding, saying the drive would not pause even "for a moment."
"The enemies aim to prevent us from using peaceful nuclear technology, not for scientific reasons, but because they want to eradicate the roots of the principles of the Islamic republic," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.
"Therefore, if we stop even for a moment they will achieve their aims," he told a group of elite Revolutionary Guard commanders, Iranian news agencies said.
The UN watchdog said on Wednesday that Iran was defying UN Security Council demands to stop enriching uranium and is expanding the work, leading the way for world powers to discuss a new sanctions package.
Immediately after the report was published, the US urged new sanctions against Iran, in addition to the two sets of measures agreed on by the UN Security Council in December and March over its defiance.
"With the backing of the Iranian nation, we are not afraid of the enemies' psychological wars," said Ahmadinejad, who was marking the anniversary of the liberation of a major Iranian port city in the 1980 to 1988 Iran-Iraq war.
"With God's help and power we are getting closer to our final aims because the enemy is exerting its last pressure on the Islamic republic and it will have no result," he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report said that "Iran has not suspended its enrichment related activities," ignoring the latest deadline by the UN Security Council, which expired at midnight.
The crux of the standoff is Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a sensitive process as it can be used both to make nuclear fuel and highly enriched uranium for the explosive core of an atomic bomb.
The US accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, but the Islamic republic insists it just wants to generate energy for a growing population.
Washington has always said it wants to resolve the crisis through diplomacy but has never ruled out military action to bring Tehran to heel and on Wednesday appeared to send a clear warning to Iran through its navy.
The nuclear-powered carriers USS John Stennis and USS Nimitz sailed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf along with a helicopter carrier and amphibious assault ships.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
‘FALLACY’: Xi’s assertions that Taiwan was given to the PRC after WWII confused right and wrong, and were contrary to the facts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) claim that China historically has sovereignty over Taiwan “deceptive” and “contrary to the facts.” In an article published on Wednesday in the Russian state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Xi said that this year not only marks 80 years since the end of World War II and the founding of the UN, but also “Taiwan’s restoration to China.” “A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration have affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan,” Xi wrote. “The historical and legal fact” of these documents, as well
RSS