Sky News: Iran Set To Defy UN Deadline Day
Iran’s President has vowed the country “will never abandon” its nuclear programme as a United Nations deadline for it to stop draws near.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted atomic technology was the Muslim state’s right.
Western nations fear the programme is a smokescreen to develop nuclear weapons.
The UN Security Council set a deadline of today for Tehran to halt uranium enrichment or face possible sanctions.
But Mr Ahmadinejad said: “The Iranian nation will never abandon its obvious right to peaceful nuclear technology.”
Tehran insists it only wants nuclear technology to cope with booming electricity demands.
But it hid sensitive research from UN inspectors for almost 20 years and has hindered UN investigations since.
Uranium enrichment can be used to fuel power stations and help make nuclear warheads.
The president said: “Their (the West’s) pretext and claim is that Iran’s peaceful nuclear knowledge might be diverted one day. It is a big lie.
“Iran has never been, is not and will not be an aggressor and violator of others’ rights. But they should know that the Iranian nation will not yield to threats and pressure.”
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is to report to the council today.
He will certify whether Iran has suspended “all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development”.
The US military has assessed Iran is five to eight years away from mastering the means to build a nuclear bomb, the Washington Times reported.
