Eurasia Press & News
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in a letter to his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner stressed that West’s threats and UN Security Council sanctions cannot deter the Iranian nation and government from continuing nuclear progress. Meantime, Mottaki reiterated Iran’s good intentions and continued initiatives to resolve the nuclear standoff with the West through talks, and said that Tehran would continue providing answers to questions about its nuclear activities and programs.
He further reminded that West – mainly the US and in some cases certain European states – has been imposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran for the last three decades.
“But the 29-year-long experience of my country shows that imposition of such sanctions strengthens Iran’s resolve to achieve independence and self-sufficiency as well as scientific and technological progress and accelerates the pace of (Iran’s) programs,” Mottaki continued.
He pointed out that threats and sanctions provide a further argument for Iran’s insistence on the necessity for its self-sufficiency and lack of dependence on foreign countries, specially in nuclear grounds.
Mottaki also reminded that his country has achieved nuclear progress while it was under the United States’ unilateral and Europe’s informal sanctions, and described France’s pressures to impose further unilateral sanctions and to incite the EU to follow suit as a pursuit of the same old failed policies practiced during the last 30 years against Iran.
He also mentioned that adoption of unilateral measures and imposition of unilateral sanctions against the world countries is illegal and a blatant violation of the goals and principles of the UN Charter, while it proves the inefficiency and inability of the UN Security Council.
Meantime, the top diplomat pointed out that imposition of unilateral sanctions runs counter to the claims made by the West about its commitment to diplomatic solutions and negotiations.
“It is not possible to speak of talks and dialogue and pursue the path of threats and pressures at the same time,” he added.
The minister further underlined that a country like the United States, which has a black record in using nuclear weapons and expanding its military nuclear capabilities cannot accuse Iran of proliferation and is not qualified for dealing with Iran’s case.
Mottaki further blasted West’s double-standards in treating different countries’ nuclear capabilities, saying that while western countries have been using different types of leverage, such as the instrumental use of the UN Security Council, threats and sanctions, in order to curb Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, they have turned a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear proliferation.
“The Zionist regime is expanding its nuclear arms both quantitatively and qualitatively without any anxiety and without going under global pressures or international inspection of its nuclear activities and installations,” he said.
“Experience of the recent years has shown that these few (western) countries are no more capable of imposing their will on the different nations, including those in the Middle-East region,” Mottaki said, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking anything beyond its Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) rights while it will not be satisfied with anything less than that.”
Reminding that confidence-building should be mutual, the foreign minister said that while Iran has taken long strides in building West’s confidence in its nuclear programs, it has not observed any practical measure by the West in recognizing Iran’s nuclear rights.
Iran is a responsible country in the international system, but it, meantime, will not allow any other country to trespass its rights, he reiterated.
“Iran adopts appropriate stances and reciprocates threats and pressures the same way it reciprocates well-intended initiatives with good intention,” Mottaki underlined.
