Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in as Iranian president yesterday, declaring his foreign policy would focus on good relations with the rest of the world but likewise rejecting all outside pressure on his government to change course.
"Justice, peace and detente are important elements in our foreign policy. These are inseparable parts of our policy," Ahmadinejad said in an inaugural speech to parliament after his swearing-in.
At the same time, Ahmadinejad said, "Our nation is not terrified by any threat. Nothing can crush the power of an integrated nation. Our government, based on support of such a nation, will bravely defend national interests and will not be humiliated."
On domestic affairs, Ahmadinejad said he would focus on restoring Islam as the guiding force in public policy.
"In the past years there were some efforts to weaken the role of religion in the country's politics and government. If religion weakens then our identity will be weakened and confiscated," he said.
He also renewed his promise to wipe out unemployment and poverty.
On Wednesday the former Tehran mayor, whose victory in June elections was flawed by charges of unfair voting practices, received approval from Iran's Islamic religious establishment. At the time, he promised to work for social justice and the alleviation of poverty.
Without directly mentioning the controversy over Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad said his government respected international norms, but said "it would not follow illegal decisions that violate rights of the Iranian nation."
"I don't know why some countries do not want to understand the fact that the Iranian people do not tolerate force," Ahmadinejad said.
Shortly after his inauguration, the foreign ministry rejected Europe's proposal for ending the deeply divisive standoff over Tehran's nuclear program, calling it "unacceptable" and not up to Iran's "minimum expectations."
"The European proposals are unacceptable and against the provisions of the Paris agreement. The proposals do not meet Iran's minimum expectations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said on state radio.
The Paris Agreement was reached between Iran and the three European countries negotiating on behalf of the 25-member EU. Under the deal, signed in November in Paris, Iran agreed to continue suspension of uranium enrichment and related activities.
Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias “Fito,” was Ecuador’s most-wanted fugitive before his arrest on Wednesday, more than a year after he escaped prison from where he commanded the country’s leading criminal gang. The former taxi driver turned crime boss became the prime target of law enforcement early last year after escaping from a prison in the southwestern port of Guayaquil. Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa’s government released “wanted” posters with images of his face and offered US$1 million for information leading to his capture. In a country plagued by crime, members of Fito’s gang, Los Choneros, have responded with violence, using car
OVERHAUL: The move would likely mark the end to Voice of America, which was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda and operated in nearly 50 languages The parent agency of Voice of America (VOA) on Friday said it had issued termination notices to more than 639 more staff, completing an 85 percent decrease in personnel since March and effectively spelling the end of a broadcasting network founded to counter Nazi propaganda. US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) senior advisor Kari Lake said the staff reduction meant 1,400 positions had been eliminated as part of US President Donald Trump’s agenda to cut staffing at the agency to a statutory minimum. “Reduction in Force Termination Notices were sent to 639 employees at USAGM and Voice of America, part of a
Canada and the EU on Monday signed a defense and security pact as the transatlantic partners seek to better confront Russia, with worries over Washington’s reliability under US President Donald Trump. The deal was announced after a summit in Brussels between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. “While NATO remains the cornerstone of our collective defense, this partnership will allow us to strengthen our preparedness ... to invest more and to invest smarter,” Costa told a news conference. “It opens new opportunities for companies on both sides of the
The team behind the long-awaited Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile yesterday published their first images, revealing breathtaking views of star-forming regions as well as distant galaxies. More than two decades in the making, the giant US-funded telescope sits perched at the summit of Cerro Pachon in central Chile, where dark skies and dry air provide ideal conditions for observing the cosmos. One of the debut images is a composite of 678 exposures taken over just seven hours, capturing the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula — both several thousand light-years from Earth — glowing in vivid pinks against orange-red backdrops. The new image
RSS