No nuclear halt, warns Khamenei

[muriel_volestrangler]

Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has said his country will press ahead with its nuclear programme.

He was speaking a day before Tehran is scheduled to give its formal answer to an international proposal of incentives for Iran to halt uranium enrichment.

Iran had "made its own decision" and would "continue its path", state television quoted the leader as saying.
...
Separately, the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Saeedi, said on Monday that suspension of uranium enrichment was "no longer possible", according to the Iranian Fars news agency.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5271344.stm

From the official Iranian news agency:

Elsewhere in his speech, the Supreme Leader said that the arrogant powers led by the US are afraid of progress of the Islamic nations and they are exerting maximum pressure on the Muslim states to stop their progress in the field of science and technology.

"Though they well know that Iran does not want to produce nuclear arms, they are exerting maximum pressure to stop progress of an Islamic state," the Supreme Leader said.

"Iran has taken its own decision thanks to experience and achievements it has made over the past 27 years and by relying upon God it will proceed with its nuclear program to produce nuclear energy," the Supreme Leader said.

http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-24/0608210579170336.htm

[Rex]

1. Wait a minute, I thought Iran had a President.

Supreme Leader sounds like a bullshit title. Something Bush would like to be called. :eyes:

Hey Iran, you dumbasses need to cut the shit about eradicating Israel. Oh yeah, and the Holocaust DID happen stop being dumbfucks. Just call the German Chancellor if you need a history lesson. :eyes:

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. No, "Supreme Leader" is the title Khomeini had

and Khamenei was nominated as his successor. See, for instance, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/iran/structure.html . He is selected by the Council of Experts, who are themselves elecetd by popular vote (hey, it beats being selected by a Supreme Court that was appointed by earlier presidents ... :evilgrin: ) Khamenei has the ultimate power in the country, so what he says about nuclear technology is more important than what Ahmadinejad says. Ahmadinejad is more involved in the day to day political running of the country.

[wakeme2008]

2. Can not allow India, Pakistan and Israel to have nucs and say No to Iran

Just IMHO..

[cali]

23. For whatever it's worth,

and personally, I do think it counts, India, Pakistan and Israel are not signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Pact. Iran is.

[AlamoDemoc]

25. Good thing Iran is part of NPT....therefore they have nothing to hide

and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said nothing of sort that Iran has violated the NPT agreement. true or not?

[Tempest]

3. Isn't it interesting how Americans consider Arabs to be backwards

Yet every time Arab countries try to advance technologically, America is first in line to prevent it?

[INDIA]

4. ARE YOU SERIOUS????

We aren't trying to prevent them from building supercomputers here, or get satellite dishes. This is a f-ed up country with an anti-semite Holocaust denier in power trying to get nukes. Bush trying to prevent them from becoming nuclear is one of the few things he is doing I agree with. Israel should also be disarmed.

[AlamoDemoc]

6. What proof do you have Iran is developing nuclear bomb?

[Tempest]

8. According to the U.N., there is no proof

The U.N. has thoroughly inspected Iran's nuclear program and has found no evidence of anything relating to a weapons program.

This is something most people ignore or refuse to acknowledge.

[AlamoDemoc]

16. Indeed

However, as always, there those that has hard time differentiating truth from propaganda.

[INDIA]

21. Yeah...

A country sitting on one of the world's largest energy sources really needs nuclear power to keep their electricity running. I think you're the one buying the propaganda from Iran.

[AlamoDemoc]

22. Canada, Mexico, Finland, and Russia have the most world energy

reserved in the world...including the US....do you know what they all have in common? they all have nuclear energy power plants. Go figure!

[PaulaFarrell]

29. The oil won't last forever

probably no more than 3 or 4 decades. They have a growing population, of which the majority is under 30. I have no idea whether they really want a bomb or not, but pursuing nuclear power makes sense (although I'd prefer they went solar).

[INDIA]

30. They've been offered numerous more cost efficient alternatives

to nuclear energy. They refuse. For SOME strange reason they insist on developing nuclear energy.

[0007]

32. What country has Iran invaded lately?

[Andrushka]

31. Proof, schmoof

Some people just make up their minds based on their personal opinions, proof be damned. :eyes:

[Tempest]

9. You're dead wrong

The U.N. has inspected Iran's program and found no evidence of a weapons program.

Now if you have evidence the U.N. doesn't, I'm sure they'd like to hear from you.

[brentspeak]

13. "UN tells Iran to suspend nuclear activities"

UN tells Iran to suspend nuclear activities

PM - Tuesday, 1 August , 2006 18:35:12
Reporter: David Mark
MARK COLVIN: The United Nations Security Council has ordered Iran to suspend its nuclear industry by the end of the month but stopped short of imposing sanctions.

The council voted 14 to one in favour of the resolution calling on Iran to stop its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities...

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1703152.htm

[AlamoDemoc]

17. The article you note does not say Iran is developing nuclear bomb

The non-binding UN resolution the article notes is a way for the council to prevent conflict between Iran and the US, and has nothing to do with finding from the IAEA. The IAEA never said Iran is in violation of the NPT agreement, hence, this current call on Iran to suspend enriching uranium is non-binding under the NPT agreements.

[Tempest]

19. I guess he missed that

And so it goes...

[brentspeak]

24. Of course the IAEA never said Iran was developing a nuclear bomb

How can they when Iran won't allow IAEA inspectors make any kind of determination in the first place?

Associated Press
Iran Denies Inspectors Access to Site
By GEORGE JAHN and NASSER KARIMI , 08.21.2006, 05:31 PM

Iran's unprecedented refusal to allow access to its underground facility at Natanz could seriously hamper U.N. attempts to ensure Tehran is not trying to produce nuclear weapons, and might violate the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, diplomats and U.N. officials told The Associated Press.
(snip)
They said Iran denied entry visas to two IAEA inspectors in the last few weeks after doing the same earlier this summer for Chris Charlier, the expert heading the U.N. agency's team to Tehran. Additionally, they said, other inspectors were given only single-entry visas during their visits to Iran last week, instead of the customary multiple-entry permits.

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/08/21/ap2963516.html

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tempest]

18. Nothing about weapons production

Which is what the poster claimed Iran was working on.

[orleans]

27. why don't we all disarm? n/t

[MrPrax]

5. Duly Noted by Some n/t

[jpak]

7. Technically, they're Persians...

n/t

[Tempest]

10. Change it to Middle Eastern countries then

The results are the same.

With the exception of Israel.

[brentspeak]

11. Most of Europe also wants Iran to quit its nuclear program

Do the Europeans also consider the Iranians (who are Persians, not Arabs) to be backwards?

[Tempest]

12. I could have included Europeans in the statement as well

Just look at how Europeans are treating immigrants from the Middle East.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. Yes, they do.

[ConcernedCanuk]

20. There is NO way that Iran will ever be a threat to the Continental USA

.
.
.

Iran just watched it's emasculated neighbour (and is still watching) get invaded and occupied by them "freedom fighters" from the USA

They ain't gonna even try to be passive, disarm etc., like Saddam did

Saddam's effort to cooperate during them 10 years of sanctions only lead to his demise.

OH yeah, Saddam cheated by selling oil under the table and so on -

But the quality of life for most Iraqis WAS BETTER BEFORE THE AMERICANS INVADED

It's that simple in my wee Canuk brain

[Hardrada]

28. But Iran is seen to be a threat to Israel

and since US foreign policy is basically the same as that of Israel....well, I'll let you draw the obvious, and tragic, and absurd conclusion.