Nuclear Crisis

[Rasputin]

Iran has vowed to pursue its nuclear programme, in its first official response to last week's UN resolution urging it to curb nuclear activities.
Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Tehran would continue to develop nuclear energy within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Last week the Security Council said Iran faced possible sanctions if it did not stop uranium enrichment this month.

Some members fear Iran may use the technology to build nuclear weapons.

Iran says its motives are peaceful.

"Our activities respect the Non-Proliferation Treaty... so we will not accept the suspension [of uranium enrichment]," Mr Larijani said.

"They should know that such resolutions will not affect our determination. We will pursue the nuclear rights of Iranians which are enshrined in the NPT."

Further discussions

Mr Larijani also warned that sanctions would hurt the West more, leaving people there shivering from cold during the winter because of higher oil prices.

The UN Security Council passed resolution 1696 by 14 votes to one on 31 July.

It gives Iran until the end of August to suspend uranium enrichment and open its nuclear programme to international inspections.

If Tehran fails to do so, the council will consider economic sanctions.

But following objections by Russia and China to the specific mention of sanctions, further discussions will have to take place about what further steps to take.

[Sepideh_UK]

Siamak, seems like you are really into politics !! ainit u?

[donsaeid]

Siamak, seems like you are really into politics !! ainit u?

L-O-L

[Rasputin]

Siamak, seems like you are really into politics !! ainit u?

Sepideh jan ..

In dorosteh, i am into Politics, specialy about my country,Iran !

Yek nafar bayad kari bekoneh ! nemisheh hamash dast rouyeh dast gozasht va bi khial shod mesleh baghieyeh 90% iranihayeh digeh !

In akhoundhayeh la'anatieh eslamic,daran Iran ro har rouz kharab va kharabtar mikonan va in chizi nist keh adamhaei mesleh man,ejazeh bedim keh in ''bi sharafha'' in '' az Khoda bi khabarha'' har kari bekhan bekonan va ma chizi nagim !

Bayad jangid ! ta akharin nafar ! ta akharin nafasi keh hast ! beh har tarighi keh shodeh,bayad jangid, bayad in ashghala,in amameh beh sar ha ro az keshvaremoun biroun konim,keh beran bemirand !

Sepideh jan ..

Ino bedun keh in rouz ha zoud tamum misheh ! farda va ya pas farda, rouzi miad keh berim Iran va in nang va bad bakhtieh islamic republic ro az Iran pak konim ! vai beh haleh rouzeh unhaei keh az in ha tarafdari mikardan, vai beh haleh adam foroush ha,vai beh haleh khanenine beh Iran... tak take inha ro peida mikonim va hamashun ro beh jazayeh e'edam misparim.

Cho Iran Mabashad, tan-e man Mabad .

Marg Bar Jomhourieh Eslami .

[Sepideh_UK]

Daghighan Movafegham!!
Vali ye chiziam hast ke, kheily aa hastand ke juneshun mitarsan ( albate beheshun hagh midam , chonke fekr mikonan chera bayad una khodeshuno kharab konano nuneshun boride beshe vaghty ke baghie hamkari nemikonan) va hamintory mishe ke hame khodeshuno agha mikeshan, which results in ke mollaha bian baa kamale porui keshvaro be g*h bekeshand o mardome badbkaht zajresho bekeshand.
Hamun khomeinie gur be gur shode, hamin khamenie......... Inan ke melato daran be goh khori mindazan.
Omidvaram ye ruz ii beshe ke khoda sezashuno bede!!!

[Rasputin]

Daghighan Movafegham!!
Vali ye chiziam hast ke, kheily aa hastand ke juneshun mitarsan ( albate beheshun hagh midam , chonke fekr mikonan chera bayad una khodeshuno kharab konano nuneshun boride beshe vaghty ke baghie hamkari nemikonan)

Khodeshoun ro kharab konand ? In ya'ani chi ? Kasi keh yek ghadam barayeh keshvaresh var midareh,kasi keh hatta yek kalameh zeddeh in akhoundha mineviseh,arzeshesh az un adamha keh touyeh khunehshun neshastan va hal mikonan,100 barar bishtareh !!!

To fekr mikoni,amsaleh man va kheili az azizani keh koshteh shodan beh vasileyeh in akhoundha,famil nadashtan ?nemitarsidan ? nah aziz.. tars dashtan,alamateh manteghi boudaneh yek haaf ro miresuneh vali nah inkeh beh bahaneyeh tars,un adam hich kari nakoneh keh hich,tabligheh in ashghala ro ham bekoneh !

Cheh chizi az Iran mohemtareh ? Poul ? Jouneh adam ? zan va bacheh ?? ina cheh arzeshi daran vaghti keh ham vatanayeh ma,daran zajr mikeshan !!!

Nah aziz... bayad az kheili chiz ha begzari ! bayad az aramesh va zendegieh rahat dast vardari agar bekhai mobarezeh koni !

In rouz ha,momkeneh keh yek chand nafar,beh nerkheh rouz noun bekhoran ! momkeneh keh chand nafari beh bahaneyeh din va mazhab va tarikh va farhang,zendegie khubi dashteh bashan,vali in rouza dareh tamum misheh ! Iran digeh jayeh saltanat va akhound bazi nakhahad boud !!! digeh beh kasi ejazeh dadeh nakhahad shod keh sobha akhoundeh mahal basheh va shabha dallakeh hamoum !!!!

Kasi barandast keh rouzeh Farda ro bebineh,emrouz bejangeh va farda natijasho bebineh.

In rouz ha, rouzhayeh akhareh In dictatorhayeh eslami-e hachalhaft hast !

[Sepideh_UK]

Are doroste. Vali bebin in ye bahsie ke kheilya dar barash harf zadan.
bishtare melate iran mokhalefe in akhundan, vali didan ke har ki ke harf zadem kalasho kardan zire aab.
Plus, aadam khodesho bede daste in adamay kasif ke chi beshe? age yek melat hame baa ham baashan are mishe ye karish kard vali age nabashand, nemishe, mishe ghazieye un i ke 1 hizumo tanha mitunest beshkane, vali yek daste hizomo nemitune beshkane!!
Inam daghighan hamine, age hame baa ham kar konan, doros mishe,vali motasefan e in melate iranam baziashun khodeshun taneshun mikhare.!!

[Rasputin]

Nuclear row boosts Iranian president

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing to confront the US and United Nations security council over Iran's nuclear activities partly to distract attention from the country's worsening economic problems, sources in Tehran have said.
Iran's hardline government said it would respond by August 22 to a western compromise package designed to defuse the dispute over its nuclear activities. But diplomatic sources said that while expressing readiness to continue negotiations, Mr Ahmadinejad was opposing concessions on the issue, which has become key to maintaining his support following his disputed election victory one year ago.

People say it's Ahmadinejad who's the problem," a western diplomat said on Friday. "Even the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) favours some kind of deal. But this is Ahmadinejad's flagship issue. People like the way he has stood up to the Americans and he isn't going to throw that away."
Leila, a Tehran resident who, like other interviewees, asked not to be identified, said: "If the US had not made such a big thing of the nuclear issue Ahmadinejad would have been in big trouble by now. He could have been overthrown. He's achieved nothing in the past year. The economy is very bad. Everyone is poor."

Ali, a graduate in part-time employment, said it was very difficult for young people to find good jobs in a country where two-thirds of the 70 million population are under 30.

"Ahmadinejad promised to do all sorts of things. But he hasn't done anything. He promised to share out the oil revenue. Look at the price of oil now! Where's all that money going? There's no economic management in this country. It's inefficient. It's corrupt," Ali said.

"Ahmadinejad loves all the international attention. He's making the most of the nuclear issue to distract attention from the failures of the economy."

A recent Zogby International/Reader's Digest poll, conducted by telephone from outside Iran, found strong public support for the government's position that Iran has an "inalienable right" to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes. Sixty-seven percent also agreed with Mr Ahmadinejad that the state of Israel should not exist, with only 9% disagreeing.

But 41% of respondents said making the economy more efficient was more important than nuclear capabilities or regional issues, with 27% disagreeing.

The economy is coming under increasing public scrutiny despite official controls on newspapers and restricted access to the internet. An estimated 80% of all economic activity is under direct government control or managed through cooperatives known as bonyads, often dominated by well-connected clerics. In contrast, 80% of the population works in the private sector.

Critics say US sanctions, which have discouraged foreign investment and technology transfers, cannot be wholly blamed for Iran's economic backwardness. There are also complaints that taxpayers' money allegedly being sent to Hizbullah in Lebanon would be better spent at home.

Particular concern is focusing on oil-rich Iran's lack of refining capacity. It has a petrol shortfall of 30m litres a day, which is made up by expensive imports. Critics also note its failure to keep up with IT and e-commerce developments. A recent UN report ranked Iran 98th in the world in e-government.

The finance minister, Davood Danesh-Jafari, promised this week that privatisations ordered by Ayatollah Khamenei in 2004 would be speeded up. "We need to change the status quo," he said.

One plan is to offer discounted shares in the bigger state companies to the 8 million most needy Iranians, in line with Mr Ahmadinejad's redistributive "Islamic socialism". But the idea has hit trouble because few poor people have cash to spare to buy even discounted shares and the companies are usually making a loss.

"Since the privatisation process ... failed to produce the desired results, one question that arises is how the present administration intends to move forward in containing the role of the state," said a daring commentary published by Iran Daily.

"Mr Ahmadinejad and his aides have pledged to deliver and improve the quality of life of the millions who voted them to office. With oil revenue at its highest in almost three decades ... the nation hopes the economy will turn around without delay."

[Rasputin]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday Iran would not yield to Western pressure to give up its home-grown nuclear technology.

His comments came days before an August 22 deadline Iran set itself to respond to a demand by six world powers that Tehran give up uranium enrichment in return for economic and other incentives. Iran has so far shown no signs it will accept.

"Today, we are fully mastering the nuclear fuel cycle for our peaceful atomic activities. It is a native technology... No one can take it away from us," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech to a rally in the northwestern city of Ardebil.

The United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany proposed in June to give Iran trade and technical incentives if Tehran halted all enrichment-related activities.

Iran said it would reply by August 22. But this was deemed too long and Iran's case was sent back to the U.N. Security Council, which passed a resolution demanding Tehran halt the sensitive atomic work by August 31 or face possible sanctions.

"The Iranian nation will not yield to pressure but is ready to resolve the nuclear issue through talks," Ahmadinejad said.

Western diplomats have said they are ready to talk but only after Iran meets the key demand of stopping enrichment, a process which can be used to make fuel for nuclear power stations or material for atomic bombs.

Under Iran's system of clerical rule, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the last say on state matters not the president. Khamenei has also previously said Iran would not yield to pressure.

POLICY REVIEW

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani also said that Western threats and pressure would not resolve Iran's atomic issue but could push Tehran to review its nuclear policy, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

"If they want to deprive the Iranian nation of its right, we will review our policy," he said after a meeting with visiting assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai. China has repeatedly urged a diplomatic solution to the nuclear dispute.

Larijani did not say what policy would be reviewed but the president has previously warned Iran might reconsider membership of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

A senior Vienna-based diplomat familiar with operations of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in Iran he did not expect Iran to agree to stop enrichment by the August 31 deadline.

"The next IAEA report (to the Security Council) is unlikely to contain any surprises. The central question for the report will be whether Iran will have stopped enrichment-related work or not by August 31, and I suspect we already know the answer to that," he said.

"No one really believes Iran will give in to this deadline," he added.

The world's fourth largest oil exporter insists its nuclear work is purely civilian, but Western nations say the program is a smokescreen for producing atomic weapons.

Iranian officials often say the country could weather sanctions and argue such measures would hurt the West more than Tehran by lifting already high oil prices to levels that would be unmanageable for industrialized economies.

Analysts and diplomats point out Iran's economy would be highly vulnerable to sanctions on gasoline imports, European financing and industrial components.

[Rasputin]

Iran is ready to discuss the suspension of its uranium enrichment programme as demanded by Western powers, the country's foreign minister has said.
Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference that Iran was ready to talk but still regarded any suspension of its programme as "illogical".

A package of incentives has been offered to Iran by six world powers in return for a halt to its programme.

Tehran has said it will respond to the offer by 22 August.

"We are ready to discuss all the issues, including the suspension. There is no logic behind the suspension of Iran's activities. We are ready to explain this to them," Mr Mottaki said.

UN resolution

At the end of last month, the UN Security Council passed a resolution giving Iran until the end of August to suspend uranium enrichment and open its nuclear programme to international inspections.

The resolution said "appropriate measures" would be taken if Iran did not comply, although it did not threaten immediate sanctions.

The five UN Security Council members and Germany have offered Tehran a package of energy, commercial and technological incentives in exchange for halting its programme.

Iran insists the motives for its nuclear programme are peaceful, but the US and other nations accuse Tehran of trying to develop weapons.

Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but points out it is entitled to pursue nuclear power generation within the terms of the treaty.

[Sepideh_UK]

Coo!!

[Rasputin]

US says Iran must expect swift U.N. action

The United States expects the United Nations to act swiftly next month and consider sanctions against Iran if it does not drop its nuclear program, said a senior State Department official on Thursday.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, who handles much of the Iran portfolio at the State Department, said he expected the U.N. Security Council would "take up its responsibilities" and impose sanctions if Tehran did not stop its enrichment program.

"We have an agreement with Russia and China and with the other members of the (U.N. Security) Council that we will go to Chapter 7 sanctions (if Iran does not comply)," Burns told reporters.

Burns was reacting to comments from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said on Thursday his country could not abandon its nuclear program while the United States was developing new atomic bombs every year.

The United States and its allies suspect Iran is developing a nuclear bomb and accuse it of hiding its research for the past 18 years. Tehran denies the charge. Washington has also accused Iran of backing the Hizbollah guerrilla group and exacerbating the conflict between Lebanon and Israel.

The United Nations passed a resolution on July 31 under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter demanding that Iran suspend its nuclear activities by the end of August or face sanctions. Article 41 refers to economic sanctions.

"It is very clear what Iran needs to do. We would want to move very quickly in the event that Iran does not give an answer to the Security council and does not comply with the condition clearly enunciated by the Security Council," said Burns.

"I think we would want to move very quickly in the first part of September toward a debate in the Security Council about sanctions. They will be well deserved as this has gone on a long time," he added.

While Russia and China voted in favor of the U.N. resolution, both nations have in the past been reluctant to impose sanctions. Moscow made clear late last month that the sanctions provisions meant the council would have a "discussion" on punitive measures.

Iran has set itself an August 22 deadline to respond to a demand by six world powers that Tehran scrap its enrichment program in return for economic and other incentives. Iran has so far shown no signs it will accept.

Burns called the August 22 deadline a "mythical date," adding that Ahmadinejad's comments that his country would continue with enrichment were "just not going to be good enough."

"We have given Iran every opportunity to comply and it is not a mystery to the Iranians what has to happen. I think Iran should know exactly what is going to happen," he said.

[Rasputin]

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran test-fired 10 surface-to-surface short-range missiles on Sunday, a day after it launched a series of large-scale military exercises throughout the country, state-run television reported. The Saegheh missile had a range of between 50 and 150 miles, the report said. It did not specify whether the missile was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, but it was not believed to be.

State-run television said the missile was built based on domestic know-how, although outside experts say much of the country's missile technology originated from other countries.

Iran said it launched the new military exercises Saturday to introduce a new defensive doctrine.

"We have to be prepared against any threat and we should be a role model for other countries," local newspapers quoted army spokesman Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, as saying earlier this week.

The military exercises come as Iran faces heightened international scrutiny because of its contentious nuclear program and for supporting the guerrilla group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution last month calling for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment by Aug. 31 or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.

Iran, which claims its nuclear program is peaceful, has rejected as "illegal" the binding resolution, saying it had not violated any of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty. But it promised to offer a formal response to a package of Western incentives on Tuesday.

Iran also has denied Israeli accusations it is arming and training Hezbollah fighters but also has declared Hezbollah victorious in its battle against the Jewish state.

The Islamic Republic is concerned about the U.S. military presence in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan. It also has expressed worry about Israeli threats to destroy its nuclear facilities.

Iran already is equipped with the Shahab-3 missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. An upgraded version of the ballistic missile has a range of more than 1,200 miles and can reach Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Last year, former Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said Tehran had successfully tested a solid fuel motor for the Shahab-3, a technological breakthrough for the country's military.

Iran's military test-fired a series of missiles during large-scale war games in the Persian Gulf in March and April, including a missile it claimed was not detectable by radar that can use multiple warheads to hit several targets simultaneously.

State-run TV also reported that a small military training plane had crashed on Sunday. The plane was not participating in the military maneuvers, the TV said, stating the crash was due to technical failures and the only pilot in the plane parachuted to safety.

[Rasputin]

Iran has said it will not suspend uranium enrichment, a key demand of an international proposal aimed at resolving the nuclear programme row.
It comes two days before Iran was due to respond to a proposal by Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany and the US aimed at resolving the nuclear row.

Iran's foreign ministry said a final decision would be based on negotiations.

But he warned that a halt to uranium enrichment was "not on the agenda".

Enrichment halt 'illogical'

Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said suspending enrichment - a key step in the nuclear fuel making process - would be a return to the past.

His comments come a few days after Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, said the country was ready to discuss the issue, but would explain in any talks that a halt to enrichment would be "illogical".

The international proposal to Iran calls for a suspension of uranium enrichment in return for the partial lifting of economic sanctions and assistance with nuclear technology.

Mr Asefi said Iran's response - expected by Tuesday - would be "multi-faceted", though he did not elaborate.


Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful

In July, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling on Iran to suspend enrichment by 31 August or face unspecified economic and diplomatic sanctions.

Iran has said that it would respond to any possible sanctions with a painful response - which may involve a cut in its oil production.

Missile tests

On Saturday, Iran launched a series of major military exercises, with 10 short-range surface-to-surface missiles being launched in a test on Sunday.

According to Iranian state television, the tests included a launch of a Saegheh (Lightning) missile, which reportedly has a range of 80 to 250 kilometres (50 to 155 miles).

The missile is not thought to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, news agency AP reported.

The Iranian military has said its wargames are a reaction to what it sees as a heightening of tension in the Middle East.

A military training plane caught fire and crashed after trying to make an emergency landing on a highway outside of Tehran. The pilot managed to eject safely.

[Rasputin]

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest authority, said on Monday the Islamic Republic had decided to press ahead with its pursuit of nuclear energy, suggesting Iran will not heed a U.N. demand to stop enriching uranium.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has made its decision and, in the issue of nuclear energy, will continue its path powerfully ... and it will receive the sweet fruits of its efforts," Khamenei said on state television, Reuters reported.

His remarks came the day after Iran's armed forces tested surface-to-surface missiles Sunday in the second stage of war games near its border with Iraq, just days before a U.N. deadline to accept limits on its nuclear program or face possible sanctions.

The war games occurred as Iran again rejected any preconditions for further talks on giving up its uranium-enrichment program, which it says is meant for peaceful purposes.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes setting preconditions for negotiations will tighten the atmosphere for the two sides to reach a solution," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

"Why do they believe that the two parties should not negotiate in an open atmosphere?"

The U.N. Security Council has given Iran until the end of August to freeze its enrichment program or possibly face economic sanctions. Iran has said its response to incentives intended to persuade its leaders to accept strictures on its nuclear program would be ready by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Iran's military launched the first stage of a planned series of war games on Saturday. The exercises will be conducted in 16 provinces in southern, southwestern and western parts of the country during the coming days, IRNA reported.

Brig. Gen. Kiumars Heidari, a military spokesman, told the IRNA that Iranian forces test-fired Iranian-made Saeqeh (Thunderbolt) missiles and surface-to-water missiles in southwestern Khuzestan Province, which adjoins Iraq.

Iran has routinely held war games over the past two decades to improve its combat readiness and to test equipment such as missiles, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

The new tests, in the wake of the Lebanon-Hezbollah fighting, seemed certain to create new tensions with the West. (Full story)

Iran's state-run television said the missile was built based on domestic know-how, although outside experts say much of the country's missile technology originated from other countries.

State-run TV showed video of 10 missiles being launched from mobile launching pads, The Associated Press reported.

Iran has said it is developing its nuclear technology for a civilian power program. But the United States and some European countries have accused Iranian leaders of working towards joining the exclusive club of countries that have nuclear weapons.

"If the Europeans' attitude is rational, the package of incentives can settle problems," Asefi said. "The package has still ambiguities and questions which should be answered."

He said Iran would cooperate with the nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and he predicted that the Europeans would not allow sanctions to be imposed on the oil-exporting nation. Such a move would result in EU countries "burning their bridges," he said.

"If other countries refrain from cooperating with Iran, they will sustain more damage," he said.

But Emily Lawrimore, a spokeswoman for the same White House that once branded Iran -- along with Iraq and North Korea -- members of the "axis of evil," said Sunday that the show of military force "serves to remind us of the dangers of its [Iran's] nuclear ambitions.

"Iran sits at the nexus of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism; we know that Iran is producing and developing delivery systems that could threaten our friends and allies in the Middle East and Europe and eventually the United States itself," she said. "As the president has noted, Iran faces a clear choice."

The statement carried echoes of pronouncements from Washington in the months leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where about 130,000 U.S. troops are still battling a persistent insurgency and trying to quell a wave of sectarian violence.

In this case, however, Lawrimore said that if Iran failed to comply with the Security Council's mandate, "We will move quickly at the United Nations to impose sanctions," she said.

But Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, speaker of Iran's Parliament, accused the United States of interfering in the affairs of other countries.

"The U.S. meddles in national affairs of other countries sometimes in the form of coup d'etat and sometimes under pretext of campaign against terrorism," he told the Parliament -- or Majlis -- on the 53rd anniversary anniversary of a U.S.- and British-sponsored coup d'etat that brought pro-Western Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to power.

"The U.S. has always raised a pretext for its interference. It meddled in Iraqi domestic affairs under a pretext to establish democracy and freedom in that country and the international campaign against terrorism," he said.