Iranian Supreme Leader Seyed Ali Ali Khamenei vowed in Teheran
Thursday that Iran is fixed to resist any pressure and conspiracy
imposed on the country's nuclear program.
"During the past 27 years, we have experienced such situations
for many times. Now, the Iranian nation is determined to resist any
pressure or conspiracy," Khamenei was quoted by state television as
saying.
"We will forge ahead with the work towards mastery of nuclear
technology," Khamenei said.
Earlier in the day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said
Iran would never give in to bullies on its nuclear issue, for
nuclear energy is an undeniable right of the country.
"The Iranian nation will never give in to bullies, and all of
them are announcing that nuclear energy is an undeniable right,"
Ahmadinejad was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying
in the western province of Lorestan.
"The people of Iran will not accept coercion and unjust
decisions by international organizations," Ahmadinejad said.
The comments of the two top Iranian officials came just one day
after the country's nuclear file was formally sent to the UN
Security Council.
On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
board of governors concluded a key seasonal meeting in Vienna.
Although discrepancies still remained within the IAEA board on
its next move on Iran, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei's report on the
Iranian nuclear issue was handed over to the UN Security Council
soon after the meeting.
ElBaradei stressed that the involvement of the Security Council
was "just a new phase of diplomacy, not the end of it."
Iran has said it will continue talks with the international
community to find a solution to its nuclear dispute despite the
negative situation.
Echoing Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, Iran's Majlis (parliament)
Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel also criticized the western approach
on its nuclear issue as "dual attitude," saying opposition to
Iran's nuclear pursuit "runs counter to the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)."
However, Adel showed some degree of restraint as to a motion put
forward by some lawmakers to cease all co-operation with the IAEA
which Teheran defined as voluntary, saying the issue should be
considered after the Majlis was briefed by all related officials on
the nuclear program.
A senior Iranian security official warned on Wednesday Iran
could inflict "harm and pain" to match whatever punishment
Washington persuaded the Security Council to mete out for Iran's
refusal to heed calls that it halt atomic fuel research.
Some Iranian officials have warned that if pressured further
over the nuclear case Teheran could restrict its vital oil exports
to push prices even higher.
The IAEA board of governors in early February adopted a
resolution to report Iran's case to the UN Security Council but
called on the powerful UN body to withhold punitive actions until
the meeting in March.
The resolution urges Iran to suspend all work related to uranium
enrichment and fully cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog.
However, Iran disallowed IAEA's snap inspections and resumed
small-scale enrichment work, a retaliative move against the IAEA
resolution.
(China Daily March 10, 2006)
