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 recognized his country's nuclear ambitions.
In a blistering assault, Ahmadinejad repeated the Islamic regime's position that it would press ahead with a nuclear program despite threats by the EU and US to refer Iran to the UN Security Council, where it could face sanctions.
He added that Iran was a "civilized nation" that did not need such weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is a wholly peaceful attempt to generate electricity.
Addressing a rare press conference in Tehran, he appeared to issue thinly veiled threats against Western nations, 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 US, 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 takes place in London today when officials from the EU, US, Russia and China gather to discuss 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."
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.
FOREST SITE: A rescue helicopter spotted the burning fuselage of the plane in a forested area, with rescue personnel saying they saw no evidence of survivors A passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed yesterday in a remote spot in Russia’s far eastern region of Amur, with no immediate signs of survivors, authorities said. The aircraft, a twin-propeller Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk when it disappeared from radar at about 1pm. A rescue helicopter later spotted the burning fuselage of the plane on a forested mountain slope about 16km from Tynda. Videos published by Russian investigators showed what appeared to be columns of smoke billowing from the wreckage of the plane in a dense, forested area. Rescuers in
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is to meet US President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila’s status as a key Asian ally would secure a more favorable trade deal before the deadline on Friday next week. Marcos would be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. Trump has already struck trade deals with two of Manila’s regional partners, Vietnam and Indonesia, driving tough bargains in trade talks even with close allies that Washington needs to keep onside in its strategic rivalry with China. “I expect our discussions to focus on security and defense, of course, but also
POINTING FINGERS: The two countries have accused each other of firing first, with Bangkok accusing Phnom Penh of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai yesterday warned that cross-border clashes with Cambodia that have uprooted more than 130,000 people “could develop into war,” as the countries traded deadly strikes for a second day. A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the UN Security Council was set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis yesterday. A steady thump of artillery strikes could be heard from the Cambodian side of the border, where the province of Oddar Meanchey reported that one civilian — a 70-year-old man — had been killed and
‘OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE’: Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen are to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss EU-China relations and geopolitical challenges Top leaders from China and the EU are to hold a summit in Beijing this week, as the major economic powers seek to smooth over disputes ranging from trade to the Ukraine conflict. Beijing and Brussels have been gearing up to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, but a suite of squabbles over state subsidies, market access and wartime sanctions have dampened the festivities. A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed that European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would visit on Thursday. The statement came after the EU
RSS