• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Iran threatens to quit NPT if pressured

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, July 14, IRNA
Pakistan-Iran
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Thursday that Tehran could halt UN inspections and quit the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if subjected to increased pressure over its peaceful nuclear program.

According to the Daily Times, the threat came just hours after world powers referred the crisis back to the Security Council for possible sanctions over a failure by Iran to respond to demands that it suspend uranium enrichment and other related activities.

Up to now the Iranian people have acted within the framework of the NPT and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the president said.

But if they reach the conclusion that Western countries do not have goodwill and sincerity they (the Iranian people) will revise their policy, Ahmadinejad said in comments carried by the Iranian state television's website.

"If some are after creating problems, they should know that any problem created for Iran in the region will harm the interests of everyone," he said.

Americans want to create disputes, while everyone is trying to keep the atmosphere calm, to continue the constructive, fair and legal talks to resolve the (nuclear) issue, he added.

He told the United States not to interfere in the dispute, saying it could be resolved in talks with the European Union.

Iran says it wants to enrich uranium only to make reactor fuel, and rejects accusations that it wants to acquire the capacity to make nuclear weapons.

But on Wednesday the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany decided they had lost patience with Tehran.

The Iranians have given no indication at all that they are ready to engage seriously on the substance of our proposals, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in a statement agreed with his colleagues from the United States, Britain, Germany, Russia and China.

Iran had been offered trade, diplomatic and technology incentives as well as multilateral talks involving the US if it agreed to a suspension.

"It has to be understood that any tough action will be to the detriment of all parties, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a joint news conference with his visiting South African counterpart Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

"Iran wants to keep the calm, and we advise (the major powers) to stay calm and avoid taking any action that increases pessimism," he added.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani insisted the Islamic republic was willing to discuss its disputed nuclear program, but would not accept a freeze of sensitive activities as a pre-condition to talks.

US President George W Bush warned Iran on Thursday it did not have an unlimited amount of time to settle the dispute over its nuclear program.

"The Iranians must realize that they can't wait us out," Bush told a news conference after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"We said reasonable period of time. Weeks not months," Bush said.

"They evidently did not believe us. Now we're going to the UN Security Council."
Merkel said other steps would be necessary if Iran did not respond to an offer aimed at reining in Tehran's atomic work.

"If Iran does not agree to this offer, then unfortunately we need to go down other routes," said Merkel at a joint news conference with Bush.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday the great powers were not considering imposing sanctions on Iran, but would use a United Nations resolution to force it to comply with its nuclear watchdog.

"This is a subject for speculation and a hypothetical question.

We are currently not talking about any kind of economic sanctions," Russian agencies quoted Lavrov as telling reporters on his flight back from Paris, where the six foreign ministers agreed to pass Iran to the Council.

"Sanctions must not be an instrument to punish. When we understand that the situation is not improving, then we will think.

"But there is an absolutely clear agreement that any talk about economic sanctions will be proportional to achieving the aim of securing Iran's cooperation with the IAEA," he said.

235/2321/1414