Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday warned Europe against backing proposed UN measures against its nuclear program, saying Iran would respond by downgrading relations with the EU.
Iran is concerned about moves at the UN Security Council to penalize it for refusing to cease uranium enrichment, a process that produces the material for nuclear reactors or bombs. The EU has been supporting the US in pushing for tougher UN penalties than Russia and China would like to see.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Monday that the leading powers at the UN were nearing an agreement on a Security Council resolution. The council's Big Five plus Germany are expected to meet in Paris later yesterday to discuss a draft resolution.
Speaking to a crowd in Sari, a northern provincial capital, the president addressed the member states of the EU, saying: "I'm telling you in plain language that as of now, if you try, whether through propaganda or international organizations, to take steps against the rights of the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation will consider it an act of hostility."
"And if you insist on pursuing this path, it [Iran] will reconsider its relations with you," he added.
It was the first time Ahmadinejad had threatened to downgrade relations with Europe which, collectively, is Iran's biggest trading partner.
It was not clear what steps Ahmadinejad had in mind, but Iran could withdraw its ambassadors from EU capitals, make it more difficult for European companies to win oil industry contracts or impose sanctions on EU goods.
However, Ahmadinejad does not have the final word in Iran -- that lies with the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is known to have countermanded orders made by the Iranian president in the past.
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