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"ISRAEL MULLING A SPRING OR SUMMER WAR BUT ITS DECISION NOT FINAL YET"
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/News Details.aspx?id=124813&language=en
16/02/2010
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran's arch-foe
Israel was mulling starting a war "next spring or summer" but has
yet to make a final decision.
Without specifying whom would be targeted, Ahmadinejad said: "According
to information we have they (Israel) are seeking to start a war next
spring or summer, although their decision is not final yet."
"But the resistance and regional states will finish them if this
fake regime does anything again," the Iranian President said at a
press conference when asked about ongoing efforts to reconcile ties
between Arabs and Israel.
Ahmadinejad also warned on Tuesday that world powers would regret
any moves to slap new sanctions on Iran, while stressing Tehran was
still ready for a UN-brokered nuclear fuel exchange deal.
Ahmadinejad's latest salvo at world powers came as US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton toured the Gulf to earn backing for possible
sanctions against Iran for defiantly pursuing its nuclear program. "If
anybody seeks to create problems for Iran, our response will not be
like before," the Iranian president told a packed news conference in
the capital Tehran.
"Something in response will be done which will make them (the world
powers) regret" their move, he said.
Ahmadinejad said negotiations over a UN-drafted nuclear fuel exchange
were "not closed yet," and expressed readiness to buy the material
even from Iran's arch-foe the United States.
Last year the International Atomic Energy Agency proposed sending
Iranian low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further enrichment,
denying Tehran refining capacity powers fear could be used to help
build an atomic bomb.
The offer would have seen the uranium returned to Iran in a high grade
form for use in a Tehran medical research reactor, but the plan has
been rejected by the Islamic republic.
Ahmadinejad insisted on Tuesday that the exchange had to be
"simultaneous," a stance repeated by several other Iranian officials
and which has led to a deadlock over the deal. "The proposal for
the fuel exchange is not closed yet. We have announced that we will
exchange within a just framework," Ahmadinejad said.
"We are ready for an exchange even with the United States. The US can
come and give us their 20 percent fuel and we will pay them if they
want, or we can give them 3.5 percent fuel. But the swap should take
place simultaneously and we will put our fuel under the supervision of
the (UN atomic) agency in Iran," he added without clarifying whether
the exchange must take place inside the country as insisted by other
Iranian officials.
Ahmadinejad also indicated Tehran could suspend enriching uranium to
the 20 percent level if world powers supplied it the required fuel
for Tehran reactor. "We are not insisting on doing this (20 percent
enrichment) although we have the capability. If they supplied the
(uranium enriched to) 20 percent, the situation may change," he said
in answer to a question if Iran would stop the enrichment started
last week.
Iran announced on February 9 that it had begun work on enriching the
uranium to 20 percent level.
Ahmadinejad's comments came after Russia, an ally of Iran, said Tehran
should improve its cooperation with the IAEA and that new sanctions
were not excluded if it fails to fulfill its obligations.
"On the subject of sanctions... Russia still believes that Iran should
more actively and broadly cooperate with the IAEA and other countries,"
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's spokeswoman said.
"If these obligations are not fulfilled no one can exclude the
application of sanctions," the spokeswoman Natalia Timakova told
reporters in Moscow.
IRAN WANTS TO PROVIDE POWER PLANTS TO ITS NEIGHBORS Meanwhile, a
senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Iran wants to build up
its nuclear energy program and provide power plants and nuclear fuel
to its neighbors.
Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of Iran's High Council for
Human Rights, said Iran wanted to break through Western reluctance to
supply the Middle East with a much-needed energy source for when oil
supplies dwindle. "We are going to help other nations in the region,
we are going to help anyone who wants," Larijani told journalists.
"And this is an area where we want to invest, we want to be the one who
provides nuclear power plants and fuel for other countries," he added.
Larijani said that an Iranian nuclear capability would be "an asset
for the region" and allow it to break a western "monopoly" over nuclear
energy. If countries were not allowed to sell the required fuel to Iran
"we will make it ourselves," he added.
"We are ready to help Turkey, Saudis, the Emirates, Kuwait if they
need. I am sure the western countries are not going to give to these
states. Egypt is dying for this electricity," said Larijani. "We
can even collectively build fuel for our reactors - this is a need,
this is a must for our nations in the region."
"If we don't move today, 20 years from now we will beg on our knees
in front of the western countries to sell to us," Larijani added.
The Iranian official said such a trade would be placed under the
supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/News Details.aspx?id=124813&language=en
16/02/2010
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran's arch-foe
Israel was mulling starting a war "next spring or summer" but has
yet to make a final decision.
Without specifying whom would be targeted, Ahmadinejad said: "According
to information we have they (Israel) are seeking to start a war next
spring or summer, although their decision is not final yet."
"But the resistance and regional states will finish them if this
fake regime does anything again," the Iranian President said at a
press conference when asked about ongoing efforts to reconcile ties
between Arabs and Israel.
Ahmadinejad also warned on Tuesday that world powers would regret
any moves to slap new sanctions on Iran, while stressing Tehran was
still ready for a UN-brokered nuclear fuel exchange deal.
Ahmadinejad's latest salvo at world powers came as US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton toured the Gulf to earn backing for possible
sanctions against Iran for defiantly pursuing its nuclear program. "If
anybody seeks to create problems for Iran, our response will not be
like before," the Iranian president told a packed news conference in
the capital Tehran.
"Something in response will be done which will make them (the world
powers) regret" their move, he said.
Ahmadinejad said negotiations over a UN-drafted nuclear fuel exchange
were "not closed yet," and expressed readiness to buy the material
even from Iran's arch-foe the United States.
Last year the International Atomic Energy Agency proposed sending
Iranian low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further enrichment,
denying Tehran refining capacity powers fear could be used to help
build an atomic bomb.
The offer would have seen the uranium returned to Iran in a high grade
form for use in a Tehran medical research reactor, but the plan has
been rejected by the Islamic republic.
Ahmadinejad insisted on Tuesday that the exchange had to be
"simultaneous," a stance repeated by several other Iranian officials
and which has led to a deadlock over the deal. "The proposal for
the fuel exchange is not closed yet. We have announced that we will
exchange within a just framework," Ahmadinejad said.
"We are ready for an exchange even with the United States. The US can
come and give us their 20 percent fuel and we will pay them if they
want, or we can give them 3.5 percent fuel. But the swap should take
place simultaneously and we will put our fuel under the supervision of
the (UN atomic) agency in Iran," he added without clarifying whether
the exchange must take place inside the country as insisted by other
Iranian officials.
Ahmadinejad also indicated Tehran could suspend enriching uranium to
the 20 percent level if world powers supplied it the required fuel
for Tehran reactor. "We are not insisting on doing this (20 percent
enrichment) although we have the capability. If they supplied the
(uranium enriched to) 20 percent, the situation may change," he said
in answer to a question if Iran would stop the enrichment started
last week.
Iran announced on February 9 that it had begun work on enriching the
uranium to 20 percent level.
Ahmadinejad's comments came after Russia, an ally of Iran, said Tehran
should improve its cooperation with the IAEA and that new sanctions
were not excluded if it fails to fulfill its obligations.
"On the subject of sanctions... Russia still believes that Iran should
more actively and broadly cooperate with the IAEA and other countries,"
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's spokeswoman said.
"If these obligations are not fulfilled no one can exclude the
application of sanctions," the spokeswoman Natalia Timakova told
reporters in Moscow.
IRAN WANTS TO PROVIDE POWER PLANTS TO ITS NEIGHBORS Meanwhile, a
senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Iran wants to build up
its nuclear energy program and provide power plants and nuclear fuel
to its neighbors.
Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of Iran's High Council for
Human Rights, said Iran wanted to break through Western reluctance to
supply the Middle East with a much-needed energy source for when oil
supplies dwindle. "We are going to help other nations in the region,
we are going to help anyone who wants," Larijani told journalists.
"And this is an area where we want to invest, we want to be the one who
provides nuclear power plants and fuel for other countries," he added.
Larijani said that an Iranian nuclear capability would be "an asset
for the region" and allow it to break a western "monopoly" over nuclear
energy. If countries were not allowed to sell the required fuel to Iran
"we will make it ourselves," he added.
"We are ready to help Turkey, Saudis, the Emirates, Kuwait if they
need. I am sure the western countries are not going to give to these
states. Egypt is dying for this electricity," said Larijani. "We
can even collectively build fuel for our reactors - this is a need,
this is a must for our nations in the region."
"If we don't move today, 20 years from now we will beg on our knees
in front of the western countries to sell to us," Larijani added.
The Iranian official said such a trade would be placed under the
supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.