Hashtgerd, Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned the West yesterday that any possible sanctions would not stop his government from enriching uranium.
"You are mistaken if you assume that the Iranian nation would stop for even a moment from the path toward using nuclear energy, due to your nags," he said, addressing the West before a crowd of supporters in Hashtgerd, 90 kilometres west of Tehran.
"This nation is powerful and won't give in to one iota of coercion," he said.
The fiery speech drew chants of "Death to America!" from the crowd.
Iran's refusal to freeze uranium enrichment has torpedoed talks meant to defuse a stand-off over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, and the UN Security Council would start focusing on sanctions against the Islamic republic next week, senior UN diplomats said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
"It's been 27 years that they [the West] haven't allowed us to use technologies that they possess," Ahmadinejad said, referring to the amount of time US sanctions have been in place against Iran, since the 1979 hostage-taking at the US Embassy in Tehran.
"They have to know that, despite their wish, and by the grace of God and efforts of our youths, the Iranian nation would remove all obstacles and would capture the peaks of progress," he said.
Meanwhile, tourists visiting Iran might be able to add an unusual stop-off on their itinerary - a trip to one of the Islamic republic's nuclear sites at the centre of a standoff with the international community. The state news agency Irna reported yesterday that President Ahmadinejad has given permission for tourists to visit nuclear sites as proof that Iran's atomic activities are peaceful.
"Foreign tourists can visit Iranian nuclear sites, after Dr Ahmadinejad issued an authorisation ordering this organisation to study ways to do so," the head of Iran's Tourism and Cultural Heritage Organisation, Esfandyar Rahim Mashaii, said.
Also yesterday, Iran declared April 9 as 'National Day of Nuclear Technology' to fete Iran's successful enrichment of uranium, the official news agency Irna reported.
On April 11 this year Iran announced it had on April 9 successfully enriched uranium to 3.5 per cent - enough to make nuclear fuel.
TALKS
Sanctions are edging closer, says EU
The European Union warned yesterday Iran was close to triggering sanctions by refusing to halt uranium enrichment.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Tehran had made no commitment to suspend the process after four months of talks.
"The dialogue I am maintaining cannot last forever, and it is up to the Iranians now to decide whether this time has come to an end. And if that is the case we will have to follow the second track [a UN sanctions resolution]," Solana said.
Foreign ministers of the major powers were likely to meet in London tomorrow or on Saturday to assess the outcome of Solana's talks and decide on seeking gradual sanctions.
- Reuters
