Eurasia Press & News
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini blasted the Untied States for sparking terrorism and extremism in the Middle-East region. “Terrorism and extremism in the region is the product of the Americans,” Hosseini told reporters during his weekly press conference here on Sunday.
He pointed to the recent statements made by the US President, George W. Bush about the occurrence of a nuclear holocaust in the region and also the recent comments of the Italian foreign minister, and stressed that “all remarks which are far from logic and the existing realities” are rejected by his country.
Hosseini pointed out that Bush’s speech was in principle a repetition of his previous unfounded accusations against Iran, and reminded that this is the Untied States which created the nuclear holocaust in Hiroshima (during the World War II).
He said Iran neither invaded nor had the intention to invade any other country, and reminded, “Iran has repeatedly announced that it is a victim of terrorist operations and (a victim of) an imposed war which took place through the United States’ support”.
“They have accused the Islamic Republic of terrorism, but everyone knows that terrorism and extremism in the region have been produced and brought up by the Americans,” the spokesman said, reiterating that certain terrorist groups operating in the region, specially in Iraq, have been generated and backed up by the US.
Elsewhere, he responded to questions about the raison detre of the change of the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, and reminded that decrees issued by Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei are for a certain period of time.
He also reminded that in his decree to the IRGC’s former commander-in-chief, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the Leader had praised his great efforts during his term in office.
Ayatollah Khamenei replaced Safavi with Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Jafari Saturday evening, and appointed the former IRGC commander as his senior military advisor.
Safavi led the IRGC for the past 10 years.
Regarding Iran’s nuclear issue, Hosseini viewed the recent report on the country’s nuclear drive and activities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei as another victory for Iran’s nuclear diplomacy, and said that the report proved Iran’s legitimacy once again.
“This report proved the righteousness of the Islamic Republic and its stances to the world community,” he said.
He also pointed out that the UN nuclear watchdog report proved the illogical nature and untruthfulness of the media allegations and propaganda campaign staged by certain countries against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
Hosseini reiterated that ElBaradei’s report and Tehran’s cooperation with the agency indicated that Iran’s nuclear program contains no ambiguity in nature, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran acts honestly in defending the right of its nation and acts transparently and frankly in removing the ambiguities.”
Asked about the United States’ continued efforts to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran despite the recent progress in Tehran’s nuclear case, Hosseini warned that Tehran “would reconsider its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if the United Nations Security Council passes a fresh resolution to impose a third set of sanctions over its nuclear program.”
Iran agreed a timetable with the IAEA last month to answer outstanding questions over its atomic drive and activities.
“We will continue our cooperation with the IAEA, but if there is a new United Nations (Security Council) resolution, we will reconsider our cooperation with the IAEA and we will study different options,” Hosseini underlined.
He did not specify what the options were but Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has already warned that any further sanctions will render Iran’s cooperation with the agency “sterile”.
The IAEA has welcomed Iran’s willingness to answer the questions on its atomic drive as “a significant step forward”.
Reminding that the present trend of cooperation between Tehran and the IAEA was started due to Iran’s good intentions, he expressed the hope that the trend would be followed and completed in an appropriate and desirable manner in future and that the country’s nuclear case would come back from the UN Security Council to the UN nuclear watchdog agency.
Asked if Iran intends to resume voluntary implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) additional protocol, Hosseini said, “As long as Iran’s nuclear dossier is not returned to the Agency, we will not adopt any voluntary measure, including implementation of the additional protocol.”
Asked about the next round of talks between Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Hosseini said the two sides would continue contacts but declined to mention the date and venue of the next meeting between the two diplomats.
Elsewhere he dismissed reports that Iran intends to replace the Russian contractor for the completion of its first nuclear power plant in the southern province of Bushehr, and said Moscow is serious about completion of the power station.
“As President Ahmadinejad has said, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin told him on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit last month that Moscow was serious about the completion of the project,” Hosseini said.
Also in response to questions about the United States’ pressures on the Untied Arab Emirates to make the Persian Gulf state impose sanctions on Iranian goods and commodities, the spokesman viewed such efforts as part of Washington’s unilateral and extrajudicial policies practiced outside the framework of the United Nations’ resolutions.
He underlined that despite all such pressures by the US, Iran’s relations with the Persian Gulf littoral states are developing.
Regarding the issue of Iraq, the foreign ministry spokesman stressed the need for the transfer of the required authorities to the Iraqi nation and government, and said, “Iraqis can manage their country’s affairs better than the Americans.”
Elsewhere, Hosseini noted the start of a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran on Monday, and said 100 delegations from the different NAM member states are due to attend the summit.
He said that the high level of the participants will indicate solidarity among the NAM members, “while the presence of so many delegations from the different world countries proves that the Islamic Republic is not an isolated, but an active state.”
