Iran delays nuke talks to 'punish' the West
Source: Agencies |
June 29, 2010, Tuesday
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IRAN will not hold talks with the West over its nuclear program until late August to "punish" world powers for imposing tougher sanctions against the country, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday.
He also vowed that Iran will retaliate should its ships be searched over suspicions that the cargo may violate the new sanctions, which were approved by the UN Security Council earlier this month.
The European Union and US Congress followed with new punishing measures in a bid to show the Iranian government that notions of becoming a nuclear power could be accompanied by a steep economic price. Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
Ahmadinejad accused world powers of approving sanctions to give them the upper hand in talks.
"We call this bad temper," he said, adding talks on the issue would be postponed until the end of the Iranian month of Mordad, which would be about August 20. "This is a fine to punish them a bit so that they learn the custom of dialogue with our nation."
The Iranian leader also set three conditions for an eventual resumption of talks. He said countries who want to participate should make clear whether they oppose Israel's purported atomic arsenal, whether they support the Nonproliferation Treaty and whether they want friendship or hostility toward Iran.
However, he said, participation in the talks was not contingent on the answers.
The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to use its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons. Iran has denied the charges, saying its nuclear program is geared toward generating electricity, not bombs.
The new UN sanctions call for an asset freeze of another 40 additional companies and organizations, including 15 linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and 22 involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities. The resolution also bans Iran from pursuing "any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
Investment barred
It also bars Iranian investment in activities such as uranium mining, and prohibits Iran from buying several categories of heavy weapons, including attack helicopters and missiles.
The sanctions came after last year's push to get Iran to accept a UN plan to swap its low-enriched uranium for higher-enriched uranium in the form of fuel rods, which Tehran needs for a medical research reactor. The swap would have reduced Iran's low-enriched uranium stockpile and delayed any weapons-making capabilities.
He also vowed that Iran will retaliate should its ships be searched over suspicions that the cargo may violate the new sanctions, which were approved by the UN Security Council earlier this month.
The European Union and US Congress followed with new punishing measures in a bid to show the Iranian government that notions of becoming a nuclear power could be accompanied by a steep economic price. Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
Ahmadinejad accused world powers of approving sanctions to give them the upper hand in talks.
"We call this bad temper," he said, adding talks on the issue would be postponed until the end of the Iranian month of Mordad, which would be about August 20. "This is a fine to punish them a bit so that they learn the custom of dialogue with our nation."
The Iranian leader also set three conditions for an eventual resumption of talks. He said countries who want to participate should make clear whether they oppose Israel's purported atomic arsenal, whether they support the Nonproliferation Treaty and whether they want friendship or hostility toward Iran.
However, he said, participation in the talks was not contingent on the answers.
The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to use its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons. Iran has denied the charges, saying its nuclear program is geared toward generating electricity, not bombs.
The new UN sanctions call for an asset freeze of another 40 additional companies and organizations, including 15 linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and 22 involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities. The resolution also bans Iran from pursuing "any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
Investment barred
It also bars Iranian investment in activities such as uranium mining, and prohibits Iran from buying several categories of heavy weapons, including attack helicopters and missiles.
The sanctions came after last year's push to get Iran to accept a UN plan to swap its low-enriched uranium for higher-enriched uranium in the form of fuel rods, which Tehran needs for a medical research reactor. The swap would have reduced Iran's low-enriched uranium stockpile and delayed any weapons-making capabilities.
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