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NBC News and news services
Updated: 4:52 p.m. ET Jan. 11, 2006
TEHRAN, Iran - The U.S. and Britain said Wednesday that Western countries will likely seek economic sanctions against Iran after it restarted nuclear activity. Iran’s president said his country would not be “bullied” and would push ahead with the program.
International impatience with Iran was growing after it broke U.N. seals at a uranium enrichment plant Tuesday and said it was resuming nuclear research after a two-year freeze. Enriched uranium can be used as a fuel for both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons.
“I think the first thing to do is to secure agreement for a reference to the Security Council, if that is indeed what the allies jointly decide, as I think seems likely,” Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons in London, adding that he was in close contact with Washington on the issue.
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“We obviously don’t rule out any measures at all,” Blair said when asked about possible sanctions. “It’s important Iran recognizes how seriously the international community treats it.”
White House spokesman Scott McClellan, traveling with President Bush on a brief trip to Kentucky, told reporters that if the European-led negotiations had run their course, then there was no other option but to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said it was now “more likely than ever” that Iran would be hauled before the Security Council.
“I think that the Iranian regime has made another serious miscalculation by their latest actions, and we are engaged in some intensive diplomacy right now. We are talking with our European friends and others about how to move ahead and those discussions continue,” McClellan said.
Click for related content
Fact File: Iran’s nuclear facilities
Live Vote: What’s your gut feeling about Iran?
He said the international community had given Iran a chance to negotiate in good faith, but instead Tehran “is showing yet again that they are going to ignore the demands of the international community, and I think that’s a serious miscalculation.”
Intense diplomatic activity continued on Wednesday, as Secretary Rice spoke several times today with UK Foreign Secretary Straw as well as once with IAEA Director El Baradei. Germany, France and Britain were expected to meet Thursday to discuss next steps. Strong statements by the so-called EU-3 involved in negotiations with Iran suggest their frustration has reached a critical level and talks are in danger of being scrapped.
Russia, a longtime ally of Iran, expressed anger as well. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked with Rice, and both sides shared “a deep disappointment” over Iran’s move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
'Iranian nation is not frightened'
But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shrugged off the international outcry.
“Unfortunately, a group of bullies allows itself to deprive nations of their legal and natural rights,” Ahmadinejad told a crowd during a visit to the port city of Bandar Abbas. His speech was broadcast live on state-run television. “The Iranian nation is not frightened by the powers and their noise.”
Former president Hashemi Rafsanjani took a sharper tone, denouncing the West’s “colonial policy.”
“If they cause any disturbance, they will ultimately regret it,” the cleric warned in a speech for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, also aired on state TV.
“Even if (the Westerners) destroy our scientists, their successors would continue the job,” he said. “It would not be easy for them to solve the (nuclear) case by imposing sanctions or anything like that.”
Rafsanjani, who was Iran’s president in the 1990s, lost to Ahmadinejad in run-off elections last June. The policy of pursuing the nuclear program has become a point of national pride for many Iranians, a rare issue that crosses the reformist-conservative divide.
Rafsanjani now serves as head of the Expediency Council, a powerful body that mediates between the elected parliament and Iran’s unelected Islamic clerical leadership, which holds ultimate say in the country.
Iran rails at 'nuclear monopoly'
Iran insists its research is for peaceful energy production only. But the United States suspects Tehran has ambitions to produce nuclear weapons.
“I tell those superpowers that, with strength and prudence, Iran will pave the way to achieving peaceful nuclear energy,” Ahmadinejad said. “In the near future, (nuclear) energy will be completely carried out by the Iranian nation.”
The president accused the West of seeking to prevent Iran’s technological development and control the country by forcing it to buy nuclear fuel abroad.
“They falsely say that they oppose nuclear weapons. They want to have nuclear monopoly to sell it drop by drop at an expensive price and use it as an instrument for domination over nations,” he said.
Blair said Iran’s decision to restart its nuclear program, coupled with Ahmadinejad’s recent inflammatory comments about Israel, “cause real and serious alarm right across the world.” Ahmadinejad recently called for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and said the Holocaust was a “myth.”
German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler cautioned against referring the dispute to the Security Council, saying it could further destabilize the Middle East.
Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, who have spent two years trying to persuade Iran to halt its uranium conversion and enrichment activities, will meet in Berlin on Thursday to consider their next step.
I'm just glad that we have level headed diplomats like dubwa in control.
NBC News and news services
Updated: 4:52 p.m. ET Jan. 11, 2006
TEHRAN, Iran - The U.S. and Britain said Wednesday that Western countries will likely seek economic sanctions against Iran after it restarted nuclear activity. Iran’s president said his country would not be “bullied” and would push ahead with the program.
International impatience with Iran was growing after it broke U.N. seals at a uranium enrichment plant Tuesday and said it was resuming nuclear research after a two-year freeze. Enriched uranium can be used as a fuel for both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons.
“I think the first thing to do is to secure agreement for a reference to the Security Council, if that is indeed what the allies jointly decide, as I think seems likely,” Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons in London, adding that he was in close contact with Washington on the issue.
Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“We obviously don’t rule out any measures at all,” Blair said when asked about possible sanctions. “It’s important Iran recognizes how seriously the international community treats it.”
White House spokesman Scott McClellan, traveling with President Bush on a brief trip to Kentucky, told reporters that if the European-led negotiations had run their course, then there was no other option but to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said it was now “more likely than ever” that Iran would be hauled before the Security Council.
“I think that the Iranian regime has made another serious miscalculation by their latest actions, and we are engaged in some intensive diplomacy right now. We are talking with our European friends and others about how to move ahead and those discussions continue,” McClellan said.
Click for related content
Fact File: Iran’s nuclear facilities
Live Vote: What’s your gut feeling about Iran?
He said the international community had given Iran a chance to negotiate in good faith, but instead Tehran “is showing yet again that they are going to ignore the demands of the international community, and I think that’s a serious miscalculation.”
Intense diplomatic activity continued on Wednesday, as Secretary Rice spoke several times today with UK Foreign Secretary Straw as well as once with IAEA Director El Baradei. Germany, France and Britain were expected to meet Thursday to discuss next steps. Strong statements by the so-called EU-3 involved in negotiations with Iran suggest their frustration has reached a critical level and talks are in danger of being scrapped.
Russia, a longtime ally of Iran, expressed anger as well. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked with Rice, and both sides shared “a deep disappointment” over Iran’s move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
'Iranian nation is not frightened'
But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shrugged off the international outcry.
“Unfortunately, a group of bullies allows itself to deprive nations of their legal and natural rights,” Ahmadinejad told a crowd during a visit to the port city of Bandar Abbas. His speech was broadcast live on state-run television. “The Iranian nation is not frightened by the powers and their noise.”
Former president Hashemi Rafsanjani took a sharper tone, denouncing the West’s “colonial policy.”
“If they cause any disturbance, they will ultimately regret it,” the cleric warned in a speech for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, also aired on state TV.
“Even if (the Westerners) destroy our scientists, their successors would continue the job,” he said. “It would not be easy for them to solve the (nuclear) case by imposing sanctions or anything like that.”
Rafsanjani, who was Iran’s president in the 1990s, lost to Ahmadinejad in run-off elections last June. The policy of pursuing the nuclear program has become a point of national pride for many Iranians, a rare issue that crosses the reformist-conservative divide.
Rafsanjani now serves as head of the Expediency Council, a powerful body that mediates between the elected parliament and Iran’s unelected Islamic clerical leadership, which holds ultimate say in the country.
Iran rails at 'nuclear monopoly'
Iran insists its research is for peaceful energy production only. But the United States suspects Tehran has ambitions to produce nuclear weapons.
“I tell those superpowers that, with strength and prudence, Iran will pave the way to achieving peaceful nuclear energy,” Ahmadinejad said. “In the near future, (nuclear) energy will be completely carried out by the Iranian nation.”
The president accused the West of seeking to prevent Iran’s technological development and control the country by forcing it to buy nuclear fuel abroad.
“They falsely say that they oppose nuclear weapons. They want to have nuclear monopoly to sell it drop by drop at an expensive price and use it as an instrument for domination over nations,” he said.
Blair said Iran’s decision to restart its nuclear program, coupled with Ahmadinejad’s recent inflammatory comments about Israel, “cause real and serious alarm right across the world.” Ahmadinejad recently called for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and said the Holocaust was a “myth.”
German Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler cautioned against referring the dispute to the Security Council, saying it could further destabilize the Middle East.
Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, who have spent two years trying to persuade Iran to halt its uranium conversion and enrichment activities, will meet in Berlin on Thursday to consider their next step.
