Parliament speaker Ali Larijani yesterday called on Iran’s government to push ahead with its controversial program to enrich uranium to 20 percent, despite being slapped with fresh UN sanctions.
“The Iranian parliament demands that the government continues producing 20 percent enriched uranium and not stop it at all as some countries have not adhered to the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] and did not provide fuel for the Tehran research reactor,” Larijani told parliament.
“The bullying countries must understand that their illogical pressure will be proportionately reciprocated by the level of our uranium enrichment which would depend on our needs,” he was quoted as saying on parliament’s Web site.
Lawmakers chanted Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) in the assembly as Larijani made his defiant statement on the sensitive issue, ISNA news agency reported.
Enriching uranium is the most controversial aspect of Iran’s nuclear drive and the UN Security Council on Wednesday last week imposed a fourth set of sanctions on Tehran for refusing to abandon the program.
Iranian officials have maintained Tehran will keep enriching uranium to 20 percent after the West cold-shouldered a proposal brokered by Brazil and Turkey which aimed to provide the enriched material for the Tehran research reactor.
Uranium enriched to a 20 percent level can be used as fuel to power nuclear reactors, but if refined to more than 90 percent level it can be used to make the fissile core of an atom bomb.
Larijani also dismissed the new round of sanctions and warned the US and other countries against searching Iranian ships and planes as specified in the latest punitive measures.
“I am warning the adventurous America and other countries that in case they are tempted to inspect the cargo of Iranian ships and planes, they should rest assured that we will do the same with their ships in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman,” the conservative speaker said.
“This retaliation is part of defending our national interests,” he said amid chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Around 40 percent of world oil supplies pass through the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
The UN sanctions authorize states to conduct high-sea inspections of vessels believed to be ferrying banned items to or from Iran.
They also provide for cargo inspections, both in any port or at sea, if there is reason to suspect a ship is carrying conventional arms or nuclear missile items for Iran.
The sanctions resolution obligates states to seize and dispose of any prohibited items that are found in such cargo.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was