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Top cleric says Iran`s "red lines" still exist over NPT protocol

IRNA

Tehran, Oct 31, IRNA -- Senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said 
here on Friday that Iran`s accepting to sign the additional protocol 
of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was a decision that the 
Islamic establishment had made to pass the crisis, stressing however 
that Iran`s "red lines" still exist over the issue. 
Jannati, delivering a sermon at Friday prayers, said the officials
had exercised the necessary prudence and expediency in making the 
decision, stressing that no ill-intention was involved in the case. 
"Yet, our `red lines` still exist. No one can say anything to harm
Iran`s independence, security, dignity and sovereignty," he told 
worshipers at Tehran University Campus. 
The French, German and British foreign ministers arrived in Tehran
on October 20 in a lightning visit at Iran`s invitation to provide the
Islamic Republic with consultations over signing the NPT protocol. 
The Secretary of Iran`s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), 
Hassan Rowhani, announced later in the day that Iran was determined 
to take necessary measures for joining the protocol until November 20.
Earlier last month, the Expediency Council chairman Akbar Hashemi 
Rafsanjani said that Iran had certain conditions for signing the NPT 
protocol, stressing that these conditions may be the same as those of 
the US. 
Rafsanjani intimated in his sermon at Tehran Friday prayers that 
Iran`s signing of the protocol must not jeopardize its security, 
values and sanctities, and that it must not lead to investigation 
of issues that are not related to the nuclear energy. 
Jannati, who is also the head of the supervising Guardian Council 
(GC), stressed that Iran`s commitment toward the agreement with Europe
over the issue of the NPT protocol depends whether France, Germany and
Britain would take a similar move. 
"If the European party fails to live up to its commitments, the 
commitments that we made should be in turn regarded as cancelled," he 
said. 
"EU cannot threaten us by political games and force us to do what 
they, themselves, never do nor believe in". 
Jannati pointed to the recent remarks by some US officials that 
the White House is not after toppling the Islamic establishment, 
stressing that such positions are not new to Iran. 
"We have experienced this issue hundreds of times. We never become
happy over a smile of the enemy, nor will we be frightened by its 
anger," he said to the chants of "Death to America," and "Death to 
Israel". 
The GC head further recalled the new US charges against Iran over 
the issue of human rights, stressing that this is part of the efforts 
by Washington leaders to seek pretexts against the Islamic Republic. 
"No country in the world violates human rights as much as the US 
and the Zionist regime do," Jannati said. 
"The US is faced with difficult conditions in Iraq. And the 
atrocities by the Zionist regime against the Palestinians are 
increasing day by day." 
AA/214 
End