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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Iran will defend nuclear program to “last drop of blood’ | |
| 2006-04-07 | |
| TEHERAN - Iran will defend its controversial nuclear program to its “last drop of blood” and refuse to suspend uranium enrichment as demanded by the UN Security Council, a senior cleric said on Friday. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, meanwhile, were due in Iran later the same day to visit the Islamic republic’s uranium enrichment facility and other sites. “We want our rights and nothing more, and we will resist until our last drop of blood,” Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami said in a Friday prayer sermon broadcast on state radio.
A non-binding statement approved unanimously by the world body on March 29 gave the Islamic republic 30 days to abandon the sensitive nuclear work, but without issuing a threat of sanctions. Iran has refused to freeze its nuclear research and development -- which includes uranium enrichment -- that it resumed in January, insisting on nuclear technology for peaceful purposes as its right. Teheran vehemently denies it has ambitions of building a nuclear bomb and says its nuclear energy program is purely peaceful. Meanwhile, Khatami said the past week of Iranian military maneuvers in the strategic Gulf, in which missiles were tested, aimed to show that “if the enemies try to attack Islamic Iran, they will receive a severe smacking.” The IAEA visit starting Friday was planned months ago and is not linked to the Security Council statement of late March, Aliasghar Soltanieh, Iran’s representative to the IAEA said, quoted by the semi-official news agency Mehr. “The inspections to be carried out in the coming days are routine inspections within the framework of the (nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty and not linked to the statement,” he said. IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei said on Thursday he hoped for ”cooperation and transparency” from Teheran over its nuclear power standoff. “There are still outstanding issues in Iran that we need to clarify,” he told a Madrid news conference. “I hope we will get the maximum cooperation and transparency from Iran that will enable us to provide a positive report, but I can only tell you that when our inspectors come back,” he said. “We have seen issues in Iran that we need to understand before we can say that we are satisfied that all activities in Iran are exclusively for peaceful purposes,” he added. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 Mickey Mouse blotter |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-04-07 21:46 |
| #7 Gotta be windowpane. Still have 2 500 microgram doses in the freezer, waiting for the Mars mission. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-04-07 21:30 |
| #6 "They want to create a crisis" - NOOOOOOOOOOOO, Britney, by Madonna's underwear, JFK, and the band AEROSMITH and a Tehas/Texas-sized Asteroid, etal. in 1968 say it t'aint so!? How does Britney, D *** IT, keep getting herself into these things??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-04-07 20:56 |
| #5 Promises, promises. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2006-04-07 20:01 |
| #4 Iran will defend nuclear program to “last drop of blood’ This can be arranged. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-04-07 11:51 |
| #3 Make it so |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-04-07 10:37 |
| #2 I don't believe that anybody has suggested denying them nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. One problem is that they refuse to allow the kinds of accounting and inspections that would verify their peaceful intent. Another is that their construction (bunkers, etc.) suggests military intent. Another is that their parallel programs (missiles, explosives, etc.) suggest military intent. Another is that their words suggest military intent -- very aggressive military intent. And finally, vowing to defend a peaceful nuclear energy program to your "last drop of blood" in a country that is rich in natural gas energy makes absolutely no sense at all. Bombs away. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-04-07 10:29 |
| #1 OK. One last blood drop coming up. Would you prefer cruise missles or B-52s? We aim to please. :-D |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-04-07 09:57 |