President Censures Russia - Last Opportunity for West
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Kerman
Province: Iran's
frustration
with Russian President Medvedev seems to have
reached a fever pitch, with his apparent sideing with the U.S.
Kayhan, Islamic Republic of Iran
Ahmadinejad Warns Medvedev Not to Side with Obama
How
worried are the leaders of the Teheran regime about the emerging alliance
between Presidents Obama and Medvedev? According to this news item from Iran's
state-controlled Kayhan newspaper, Iranian President Ahmadinejad has
taken the extraordinary step was warning Medvedev in public of the danger of
joining the U.S. in imposing sanctions
Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has become a political superstar in Latin America. An ambitious statesman, his recemt brokering of a nuclear deal with Iran has confounded the U.S. and its allies and has perhaps altered forever international diplomacy.
TEHRAN:
On Wednesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Tehran's nuclear fuel swap offer
the West's last opportunity to resolve Iran's nuclear case.
"There are no excuses
left, as Tehran's declaration is the best opportunity. We've taken important
steps," President Ahmadinejad said during a speech in the southeastern
province of Kerman.
On May 17, Iran, Turkey and
Brazil issued a trilateral nuclear declaration in Tehran. According to the
declaration, Iran agrees to ship 1200kg of low-enriched uranium to Turkey in
exchange for 120kg of 20-percent enriched uranium it needs for producing
medical isotopes at the Tehran Research Reactor.
"We have a reactor in
Tehran that produces nuclear medicines. Around 800,000 people a year benefit
from such medicines. Twenty five years ago, Iran bought 20 percent enriched
nuclear fuel from Argentina for use in the Tehran Research Reactor. This fuel is
currently running out," he added.
Furthermore, President
Ahmadinejad urged Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to support Iran's nuclear
activities. He also said U.S. President Barack Obama should bear in mind that
if he doesn't take this opportunity, Iranians are unlikely to give him another
chance.
"There are people in
America and the world who insist on pushing Mr. Obama to confront Iran to the
point of no return - forcing him to do something that will forever block the
path of friendship with Iranians," he said. Iran and the United States
haven't had diplomatic ties for three decades. Ahmadinejad went on.
"We hate bullying and
won't succumb to aggression or tyranny. We consider today's international
relations unjust. We want equitable relations with all countries." The
president said many nations have joined the powerful revolutionary rank of the
Iranian nation.
"The arrogant and
tyrannical powers should either give up or be obliterated," the Iranian
chief executive further explained. "Some countries possess their own
nuclear arsenals, wield veto power and enjoy powerful armies. They occupy lands
and kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people. It is they which are among
the most dictatorial regimes. And it is they that support lesser dictatorial
regimes and at the same time, chant slogans supporting human rights," he
stated. "The Iranian nation favors justice for all. As for the
international arena, we favor just relations everywhere,” he concluded.
Moscow, like Washington,
reacted coolly to the nuclear fuel deal aimed at defusing the standoff - a
stance that has clearly disappointed Tehran. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
cautiously welcomed the deal, but expressed concern that it might fail to allay
fears over Tehran's uranium enrichment. And despite strong energy and defense
ties with Iran, Russia has backed new U.N. Security Council sanctions, out of which
repeated ultimatums have been issued for Iran to freeze enrichment.
Delivering an extraordinary
broadside against a country that has traditionally been seen as enjoying the
closest political ties to Tehran of any world power, Ahmadinejad singled out
Medvedev for censure.
"It has now become very
difficult to explain Mr. Medvedev's behavior to our people. Iranians don't know
whether Russia is a neighbor and friend standing by our side, or something else.
… I'm hopeful that Russian leaders and authorities will pay attention to these
friendly words and take corrective action to prevent the Iranian nation from considering
them among our historic enemies. If I were Russia's president, I would be more
cautious in commenting and decision making in regard to issues touching on the
great and strong nation of Iran."
Ahmadinejad said Russia
shouldn't support countries that have shown "animosity to us for 30 years,"
in reference to the United States, which has led the global push for additional
sanctions.
Since the 1991 fall of the
Soviet Union, trade with Russia has grown - reaching $3 billion last year - and
Russia has struck a deal to build Iran's first nuclear power station. But
Moscow has yet to deliver an order of S-300 surface to air missiles to help
Iran fend off future attacks on its nuclear facilities, although Russian
officials have said that sanctions wouldn't affect missiles shipments or work underway
at the Bushehr nuclear plant, which is supposed to begin operating in August.
Iran already labors under
three sets of U.N. sanctions for its refusal to suspend sensitive nuclear
activities. Iran insists that its program is only for generating power and for medical
purposes.
On Monday, Iran formally
notified the International Atomic Energy Agency of its agreement to the deal brokered
with Turkey and Brazil toswap out its nuclear
fuel, under which it would ship some low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return
for higher grade fuel for Tehran's research reactor.
U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton claimed Iran's letter to the U.N. watchdog had "a number
of deficiencies."
