Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday ruled out talks on Iran’s “undeniable” nuclear rights, insisting that any dialogue on the nuclear issue would focus on “cooperation on peaceful use of atomic energy” and “non-proliferation.”
“In our view the nuclear question is finished. We will not negotiate over Iran’s undeniable rights,” the hardliner told a Tehran news conference.
“What we have announced is cooperation in two parts: cooperation on peaceful use of clean atomic energy and preventing a proliferation of atomic weapons,” he said.
He underlined Tehran’s stand just hours before the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board of governors gathered in Vienna for a meeting expected to focus on continued Western allegations that Iran seeks to produce nuclear weapons.
Ahmadinejad also said that the Islamic republic was ready for talks in what he called a “fair and logical” framework, and that he was willing to hold a public meeting with US President Barack Obama in the presence of mass media.
He suggested that this could take place at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.
Iran is due to present a set of proposals to world powers which have offered talks over its controversial nuclear program but also threatened further sanctions if negotiations fail.
“Our package of proposals is in response to their request of resuming talks,” Ahmadinejad said.
Western powers, especially the US and its ally Israel, accuse Tehran of pursuing efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
The Jewish state is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, albeit undeclared.
Iran insists that its own program is purely peaceful.
Ahmadinejad told European countries and the US to “climb down from fragile glass towers,” “change their attitude” towards Iran and “recognize nations’ rights.”
“They will not benefit from continuing previous policies. But we are prepared for both states,” he said.
The president also said Tehran would continue its cooperation with the IAEA, a reference to the fact that the country has granted UN inspectors access to a research reactor in Arak.
In his latest report on the IAEA’s six-year investigation into Iran’s controversial program, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei complained that one of the main sticking points remained Tehran’s refusal to cooperate on the issue of the so-called alleged studies.
This comprises documentation from intelligence sources that suggest Iran was trying to develop a nuclear warhead.
Iran has repeatedly dismissed the allegations as “baseless” and described the evidence used to support the charges as “fabricated.”
Tehran insists that Washington’s intelligence on the alleged weaponization studies is forged, and says the US has not handed over any original documents to back up its accusations.
CHAGOS ISLANDS: Recently elected Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam told lawmakers that the contents of negotiations are ‘unknown’ to the government Mauritius’ new prime minister ordered an independent review of a deal with the UK involving a strategically important US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, placing the agreement under fresh scrutiny. Under a pact signed last month, the UK ceded sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, while retaining control of Diego Garcia — the island where the base is situated. The deal was signed by then-Mauritian prime minister Pravind Jugnauth and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Oct. 3 — a month before elections in Mauritius in which Navin Ramgoolam became premier. “I have asked for an independent review of the
France on Friday showed off to the world the gleaming restored interior of Notre-Dame cathedral, a week before the 850-year-old medieval edifice reopens following painstaking restoration after the devastating 2019 fire. French President Emmanuel Macron conducted an inspection of the restoration, broadcast live on television, saying workers had done the “impossible” by healing a “national wound” after the fire on April 19, 2019. While every effort has been made to remain faithful to the original look of the cathedral, an international team of designers and architects have created a luminous space that has an immediate impact on the visitor. The floor shimmers and
THIRD IN A ROW? An expert said if the report of a probe into the defense official is true, people would naturally ask if it would erode morale in the military Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) has been placed under investigation for corruption, a report said yesterday, the latest official implicated in a crackdown on graft in the country’s military. Citing current and former US officials familiar with the situation, British newspaper the Financial Times said that the investigation into Dong was part of a broader probe into military corruption. Neither the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Chinese embassy in Washington replied to a request for confirmation yesterday. If confirmed, Dong would be the third Chinese defense minister in a row to fall under investigation for corruption. A former navy
‘VIOLATIONS OF DISCIPLINE’: Miao Hua has come up through the political department in the military and he was already fairly senior before Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 A member of China’s powerful Central Military Commission has been suspended and put under investigation, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. Miao Hua (苗華) was director of the political work department on the commission, which oversees the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the world’s largest standing military. He was one of five members of the commission in addition to its leader, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Ministry spokesman Colonel Wu Qian (吳謙) said Miao is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline,” which usually alludes to corruption. It is the third recent major shakeup for China’s defense establishment. China in June
RSS