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Iran Hints at Exiting Nuclear Treaty By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 57 minutes ago
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hinted Monday that Iran was considering withdrawing from the worldwide Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and said he did not think the U.N. Security Council would impose sanctions on Iran.
"Those who speak about sanctions would be damaged more" than Iran, he told a news conference. "But no particular event will happen, don't worry."
He also renewed his criticism of Israel, calling it a "fake regime" that cannot continue to exist. Israel has long identified Iran as its biggest threat, and these concerns have grown amid repeated calls by Ahmadinejad for Israel's destruction.
"Some 60 years has passed since the end of World War II, why should the people of Germany and Palestine pay now for a war in which the current generation was not involved," he said.
Ahmadinejad also questioned the need for talks with the United States about neighboring Iraq.
He said Iran would reconsider its compliance with the treaty and membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency if they continued to be of no benefit to the country.
His comments came four days before Friday's expiration of a Security Council deadline for Iran to suspend its enrichment of uranium, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear reactors material for nuclear warheads.
Iran has rejected the demand, arguing it is entitled to the peaceful use of enrichment as a signatory to the treaty.
The IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, has accused Iran of failing to answer all questions about its nuclear program and reported the country to the Security Council for noncompliance with its demands.
"What has more than 30 years of membership in the agency given us?" Ahmadinejad asked.
"Working in the framework of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the agency is our concrete policy," he added. "(But) if we see that they are violating our rights, or they don't want to accept (our rights), well, we will reconsider."
The United States says Iran is using a civilian nuclear program as a cover for producing weapons. Iran denies that, saying its program is designed only to generate electrical power.
Earlier this month, Iran announced that for the first time it had enriched uranium with the use of 164 centrifuges, a step toward large-scale enrichment which would be necessary to for making nuclear fuel or weapons.
Ahmadinejad also raised the issue of talks with Washington about Iraq.
In March, the United States said it was ready for talks with Iran about its help with quelling the chaos in Iraq, where a Shiite Muslim majority with close ties to Tehran has a majority share in the government.
"Many times they (Americans) sent messages asking for help on security in Iraq. Iraqi leaders also asked the same. Unfortunately, they did not have a good attitude in this regard. We believe that with the formation of new government, there is no need," Ahmadinejad said.
In other remarks, Ahmadinejad again focused on Israel.
"We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live," he said.
The Iranian president has long campaigned against Israel, saying in October that the Jewish state should be "wiped off the map." He has said Europe should find a home for Israelis, who should not live on Palestinian land.
"Open the doors (of Europe) and let the Jews go back to their own countries," he said Monday.
He added that Europeans should jettison their "anti-Semitism" to enable Israelis to "return" to their continent, and "allow Palestinians to decide their own fate and live freely."
His remarks came a day after interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert urged the international community to work against Iran's nuclear program, saying Tehran's ambitions threaten not only Israel but all of Western civilization.
Israel has long identified Iran as its biggest threat, and these concerns have grown amid repeated calls by Ahmadinejad for Israel's destruction.
"From the point of view of seriousness, this tops the state of Israel's list, it is potentially an existential threat," a government statement quoted Olmert telling the weekly Cabinet meeting.
"The Iranian nuclear program should concern many countries, especially those with global responsibility," Olmert said, adding that the international front against Iran should include the United States, Europe and other Western countries.
An Israeli commission said in a partially declassified report that Israel is concerned that Iran's nuclear ambitions could tempt other, unidentified, Mideast countries to seek to develop atomic weapons. The report recommends that Israel maintain its policy of "nuclear ambiguity" neither denying nor acknowledging whether it has atomic weapons.
Earlier, a top Iranian official said Tehran is prepared to freeze its uranium enrichment for a short time, but this should not be construed as a readiness to abandon it.
"Iran would not have a problem with a short-term suspension (of uranium enrichment). But the difficulty is that the West and the United States would use that as an excuse for extending" the suspension, said Hasan Rowhani, a member of the Supreme National Security Council.
Rowhani's statement was not immediately endorsed by other officials and it was unclear if he spoke for the government.
"Our red line in Iran's nuclear case is that Iran's rights must be guaranteed and we must be able to enrich (uranium)," Rowhani said.
Ahmadinejad often gives long, rambling speeches but Monday was one of the rare occasions when he allowed foreign journalists to question him. He seemed to enjoy the encounter, joking and bantering with reporters.
onthefence said:And so it begins. I give it six months. Isreal will have boots on the ground in Iran in six months.
Darwins Friend said:Unless theyre Special Forces - spotting targets or verifying bomb strikes, Israel will never have "boots on the ground". Every Muslim on the planet would be gunning for every Jew - in every country. Iran IS NOT Lebanon.
onthefence said:Special Forces is what I was refering to. Isreal simply doesn't have the man power for a full scale invasion, but they have state of the art firepower and more than capable operatives. Isreal could never allow Iran to become a nuclear power. They will strike in some fashion.
USMCDevilDog said:I think Iran is posing a major threat to alot of our allies and I'm hoping that we can get more troops out of Iraq soon (in the case that Iraq finally gets a damn gov't established) so we can be ready just in case we need some ground troops in Iran.
All in all, I just hope Irans future is filled with
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump is also expected to roll out a broader U.S. strategy on Iran that would be more confrontational. The Trump administration has frequently criticized Iran’s conduct in the Middle East. Trump, who has called the pact an “embarrassment” and “the worst deal ever negotiated,” has been weighing whether it serves U.S. security interests as he faces an Oct. 15 deadline for certifying that Iran is complying with its terms. “We must not allow Iran ... to obtain nuclear weapons,” Trump said during a meeting with military leaders at the White House on Thursday, adding: “The Iranian regime supports terrorism and exports violence, bloodshed and chaos across the Middle East. That is why we must put an end to Iran’s continued aggression and nuclear ambitions. They have not lived up to the spirit of their agreement.” Asked about his decision on whether to certify the landmark deal, Trump said: “You’ll be hearing about Iran very shortly.”
Supporters say its collapse could trigger a regional arms race and worsen Middle East tensions, while opponents say it went too far in easing sanctions without requiring that Iran end its nuclear program permanently. Iranian authorities have repeatedly said Tehran would not be the first to violate the accord, under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in return for lifting most international sanctions that had crippled its economy. If Trump declines to certify Iran’s compliance, U.S. congressional leaders would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the agreement. Whether Congress would be willing to reimpose sanctions is far from clear. While Republicans, and some Democrats, opposed the deal when it was approved in 2015, there is little obvious appetite in Congress for dealing with the Iran issue now.
The prospect that Washington could renege on the pact, which was signed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, the European Union and Iran, has worried some of the U.S. allies that helped negotiate it. “We, the Europeans, we have hammered this: the agreement is working,” said a European diplomat who asked to remain anonymous. “We as Europeans, have repeated ... it’s impossible to reopen the agreement. Period. It’s impossible.” French President Emmanuel Macron said last month there was no alternative to the nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). A senior Iranian diplomat told Reuters on Thursday the end result of Trump’s expected move would be to isolate the United States since the Europeans would continue to support it. “Many foreign investors told us that they will not be scared away from Iran’s market if Trump de-certifies the deal,” the diplomat said.
Trump has long criticized the pact, a signature foreign policy achievement of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. The administration was considering Oct. 12 for Trump to give a speech on Iran but no final decision had been made, an official said previously. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of Trump, last month said that unless provisions in the accord removing restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program over time are eliminated, it should be canceled. “Fix it, or nix it,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly annual gathering of world leaders on Sept. 19. Many of Trump’s fellow Republicans who control Congress also have been critical of the deal.
‘CANNOT ABIDE’
