Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed UN sanctions
against Tehran over its nuclear program as having "no effect"
Thursday as the country kicked off celebrations to mark the
anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"The enemies know that sanctions imposed on the country will
have no effect," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad
as saying at the mausoleum of the late Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The Iranian president and his cabinet members, accompanied by
Khomeini's grandson Hojjatoleslam Hassan Khomeini, paid tribute to
the father of the Islamic Revolution on the first day of the
Ten-Day Dawn ceremonies.
Iran holds the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations on Feb. 1-11 every year
to mark the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew
the monarchy of the Iranian shah and established the Islamic
Republic.
"Despite pressure from the enemies, certain countries continue
to express favorable stances on the Iranian nation's right to
peaceful nuclear energy," Ahmadinejad said.
"If bullying states mobilize all resources in their power they
still cannot do anything," he said. "At most, they can take
measures that will irritate but will have no impact on the Iranian
nation's will."
He noted that Iranians will display their power and unity by
massively participating in the Feb. 11 rallies which will culminate
the celebrations of the revolution anniversary.
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The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737 on Dec. 23, 2006,
demanding Iran suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing
activities but Iran has rejected the resolution as an "illegal
measure" and vowed to continue the country's nuclear programs.
(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2007)
