Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
waves prior entering the aircraft leaving for the United States at
Tehran's Mehrabad airport. Ahmadinejad left Tehran for his third trip to
the United States, saying the visit was a good chance to present Iran's
solutions for the problems of the world.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said before he left for the UN General Assembly in
New York that Iran does not need to have nuclear weapons and does not want to
have war with the United States, according to a CBS TV report.
Speaking to a CBS TV program before his departure,
Ahmadinejad said, "You have to appreciate we don't need a nuclear bomb. We don't
need that. What need do we have for a bomb?"
The Iranian leader also rejected reports that Iran and the United States are heading toward conflict over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to the media at Tehran's Mehrabad airport before he left for the UN General Assembly in New Yorkt, September 23, 2007.(Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
"It's wrong to think that Iran and the U.S. are
walking toward war. Who says so? Why should we go to war? There is no war in the
offing," he said.
Ahmadinejad, who was due to arrive in New York on
Sunday, reiterated that Iran's nuclear program is purely peaceful.
Noting Iran's nuclear program is "very transparent,"
he said, "In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use. If it
was useful, it would have prevented the downfall of the Soviet Union. If it was
useful, it would have resolved the problem the Americans have in Iraq."
On Iraq war, Ahmadinejad also dismissed U.S. charges
that Iran supports militants in Iraq, providing weapons and training. "We don't
need to do that," he said.
"It's very clear the situation. The insecurity in
Iraq is detrimental to our interests." he said.
The United States has been in tense relations with
Iran since the Islamic revolution broke out in 1979.
In 2002, Bush labeled Iran as part of an "axis of
evil" that also included Iraq and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and
has accused it of backing international terrorist groups, a charge denied by
Iran.
Iran holds military parade to mark 8-year war
with Iraq
Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard
take part in a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war in
Tehran Sept. 22, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
TEHRAN, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Saturday held an annual
military parade in Tehran to mark an eight-year war with Iraq, displaying its
new home-made "Saegheh" fighter jet and long-range missiles. Full story
ROME, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said
Thursday that Iran does not currently pose an immediate threat to the
international community. Full story
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States will
not tolerate Iran building nuclear weapons, U.S. President George W. Bush said
at a press conference Thursday. Full story
