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Iran pledges not to retreat "one inch" on nuke program

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-05 08:41

TEHRAN -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged on Wednesday that his country would not retreat "one inch" on its disputed nuclear program despite rising Western demands that Tehran should halt uranium enrichment activities.

"The Islamic Republic will not retreat one inch from its legal rights, and with glory, Iran will continue along its path," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Nazarabad, a city outside capital Tehran.

"The Iranian people are the dearest people in the whole world, and they are also the most powerful people in the world," the president added.

During another speech in a nearby city of Hashtgerd on Wednesday, the Iranian president accused the West of launching a war of propaganda against Iran.

"They (the West) want us to stop our (nuclear) machines just for a day to launch a war of propaganda against Iran. But if we stop our machines there will be nothing left to negotiate," he was quoted by state television.

"They do not want Iran to become a model, they are hostile to our progress and they are afraid that if we develop we will become the greatest world power," said the president.

"They cannot get from negotiations what they cannot obtain from pressure," he stressed.

In less than 10 days, Ahmadinejad has reiterated many times that Iran would not step back on its legal nuclear rights, warning the West not to imagine that the country would suspend uranium enrichment for even one day.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in late July, urging Tehran to suspend by Aug. 31 all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, or face prospect of sanctions.

Despite Tehran's failure to meet the UN demand, EU foreign ministers decided in September to maintain serious talks with Tehran in efforts to solve Iran's nuclear issue through diplomacy.