TEHRAN, 10 June 2003 — Iran warned yesterday that foreign pressure over its nuclear capabilities, branded a threat to peace by Washington, would backfire and harden Iran’s position. Since its rapid conquest of Iraq, Washington has tightened the screw on neighboring Iran, which it accuses of sheltering Al-Qaeda fugitives, backing terrorism and developing nuclear arms.
The Foreign Ministry appealed to Washington to stop using the “language of force”, warning that US posturing would only undermine the cause of dialogue and strengthen the hand of hardliners in the Islamic republic. “We have seen some confusion over Iran within the American leadership, and we hope they will see sense and not use the language of force, because this will have the opposite effect,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.
“Certain people (in Iran) think that dialogue is a waste of time, and if the pressure becomes too strong, it will strengthen the hand of those against dialogue,” he added. “Excessive pressure on Iran would untie the hands of those who do not believe in dialogue,” said Azeri. “Even those who favor constructive talks would not accept the language of force and threat.”
The United States and European Union are divided over Iran. The EU favors a policy of encouraging embattled reformers around President Mohammad Khatami, while Washington argues this is a waste of time since he has no real power to affect change.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, in a report obtained by Reuters on Friday, accused Iran of failing to comply with safeguards to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and sent a team of inspectors to the country on Saturday.
Asefi played down the visit, which comes a week before IAEA chief Mohamed El-Baradei formally presents his report on Iran’s nuclear ambitions to agency governors in Vienna on June 16. “The visit was planned months ago and has nothing to do with the agency’s report,” Asefi said.
Fresh from war in Iraq over banned weapons, the United States described the report as “deeply troubling”. Since the Iraq war, US administration hawks have raised the specter of military action against Iran, but President George W. Bush, who put Iran in an “axis of evil” with prewar Iraq and North Korea, has denied he has plans to attack it.
The previous day, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi made a similar plea for the US administration to cease what is being seen here as a concerted campaign of intimidation. “They cannot deal like this with Iran,” Kharrazi told deputies. “You have to help Iran, because pressure will lead nowhere and will only make radical thoughts flourish, and this is not in the favor of us, the region or anybody.”
But the calls for detente have been matched by defiant comments in recent weeks from Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on Sunday accused Washington of pursuing a “devilish plot” to undermine the Islamic republic.
