Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadineja
gives a speech on Nov.7 2007. He on Friday described the U.S. accusation
of Iran nuke program as a mistake, urging Washington to admit the
mistakes, local media reported. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
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TEHRAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the recently-released U.S. intelligence
report was a "great victory" for Tehran's nuclear program, the state television
reported.
"Over our nuclear program, this is a great victory
for the Iranian people against the great powers," Ahmadinejad was quoted as
telling thousands of people in the Western Ilam province.
"You can see the report which said Iran was on the
just way, this is a final blow for the enemy," he added.
The president stressed Iran was ready to talk with
the West over the nuclear issue only when the other side also wanted to do so on
the basis of "friendship."
"If you want to talk to Iranian people as an enemy,
the Iranians will not back up and will conquer you, however, if you talk on the
basis of friendship and cooperation, the Iranian people will be your great
friend," he said.
Iranian officials on Tuesday welcomed an U.S.
intelligence report which said Iran was not actively developing nuclear weapons.
"We naturally welcome those countries that had
questions about Iran's nuclear case in the past and now correct their views
realistically," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying
by the state radio.
"The whole world is becoming to know that Iran's
nuclear activities are peaceful," he added.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali
Hosseini, in a statement faxed to the media on Tuesday, also welcomed the U.S.
intelligence report as "positive and factual."
The report reflected the elaboration of 16 U.S.
intelligent services and confirmed that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful andno
violation is detected, Hosseini said.
Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said Tuesday that the latest
U.S. intelligence report on Iran's nuclear activities was "consistent" with the
organization's findings in recent years.
This new assessment by the United States should help
to defuse the current crisis, and encourage Iran to more actively cooperate with
the IAEA on its current nuclear activities, he said.
The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), which
came out on Monday, found out that Iran stopped an effort to develop nuclear
weapons in the fall of 2003 but it continues to enrich uranium.
The estimate is less severe than a 2005 report that
judged the Iranian leadership was "determined to develop nuclear weapons despite
its international obligations and international pressure."
But the latest report also said Iran could reverse
that decision and eventually produce a nuclear weapon if it wants to do so.
U.S. President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that
Iran was still a danger and urged the international community to impose
diplomatic pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program.
"To me, the NIE provides an opportunity for us to
rally the international community, to continue to rally the community, to
pressure the Iranian regime to suspend its program," he said.
"I still feel strongly that Iran is a danger," Bush
said. "I think the NIE makes it clear that Iran needs to be taken seriously as a
threat to peace."
He again refused to rule out military options against
Iran, saying "the best diplomacy, effective diplomacy, is one in which all
options are on the table."
IAEA confirms U.S. report on Iran's
nuclear activities "consistent" with own
findings
VIENNA, Dec. 4
(Xinhua) -- The United Nations nuclear watchdog said Tuesday that the latest
U.S. intelligence report on Iran's nuclear activities was "consistent" with the
organization's findings in recent years.
The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate released
Monday said that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Full story
Iranian president: nuclear issue
closed
DOHA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said here on Monday that the disputed Iranian nuclear issue was
"closed" from Iran's perspective and that his country had the right to develop
new energy.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the
28th annual summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Ahmadinejad said "In
our opinion, the nuclear issue is now closed." Full story
Iranian president seeks for co-op with
Gulf Arab nations
DOHA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad attended the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC)'s annual summit here on Monday in a bid to close ranks and boost
cooperation with the GCC nations.
Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian president invited to
attend the gathering of the GCC, which groups the world's six top oil exporters,
namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates
(UAE). Full story
U.S. demands world keep pressure on
Iran
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior U.S. official
urged on Monday the world community should "turn up the pressure" on Iran
despite a new U.S. intelligence assessment that the Islamic republic appears
less determined to develop nuclear weapons.
The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) suggested
the U.S. strategy of ensuring "that the world will never have to face a
nuclear-armed Iran" was on the right track, said U.S. National Security Advisor
Stephen Hadley.
"The bottom line is this: for that strategy to succeed,
the international community has to turn up the pressure on Iran -- with
diplomatic isolation, United Nations sanctions, and with other financial
pressure -- and Iran has to decide it wants to negotiate a solution," he said in
a statement. Full story
