TEHRAN, 5 May 2008 — Iran will not give up its rights in the face of Western pressure, its supreme leader said yesterday, two days after major powers said they would make a new offer to convince Tehran to halt its nuclear plans.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not explicitly mention Iran’s nuclear activities, which Western powers suspect are aimed at making bombs, but Iranian officials have repeatedly ruled out halting the program which they say is a national right.
State television said Khamenei cited “some recent threats by arrogant powers,” a reference to the Tehran’s Western foes. The United States has recently repeated it wants diplomacy to end the nuclear row but will not rule out military action.
“We will not allow the arrogant ones to step on the right of this nation,” he said in a speech in the southern province of Fars. “Threatening the Iranian nation will not make it retreat. This nation has chosen its path toward perfection, honor, complete independence ... and no threat can persuade (it) to stop,” Khamenei, Iran’s top authority, told the crowd.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia — and Germany met in London on Friday and said they would offer new incentives to encourage Iran to halt nuclear work.
The offer, whose details have not been made public, is based on a package of economic and political benefits laid out by the six big powers in June 2006 but so far spurned by Iran.
Iranian officials have in recent weeks again rejected any suspension of the atomic work in exchange for trade and other incentives offered to the world’s fourth-largest oil producer.
Iran says it wants only to make fuel for power plants. The enrichment process, if desired, can also be used to make material for bombs.
The UN Security Council has imposed three rounds of limited sanctions on Iran for failing to heed the demand to suspend enrichment work.
Analysts say windfall gains from oil exports are helping Iran cushion the sanctions impact, even though Western companies have become more wary of investing in the country.
The incentives offered to Iran in 2006 included civil nuclear cooperation and wider trade in civil aircraft, energy, high technology and agriculture, if Tehran suspended uranium enrichment and negotiated with the six world powers.
An European diplomat has said the heart of the previous offer — helping Iran develop civil nuclear power — remained. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said details would be revealed by the six only to Iran’s government.
Iran discussed its own package of proposals with a visiting Russian official last week about how to resolve the nuclear row. It has not given details about those plans.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday again rejected a suspension of enrichment, describing such a move as Iran’s “forbidden zone.” “In a meeting with the British foreign secretary (at a conference earlier this month in Kuwait) I said: You know what the forbidden zone is, then be careful not to enter the forbidden zone,” he said.
Meanwhile, an Iranian news agency said yesterday Iran backs efforts by the Iraqi government to disarm militiamen, after Baghdad said a delegation was sent to Tehran last week to urge it to stop supporting militias.
The delegation from Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s ruling United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) traveled to Iran after fresh US accusations that Iranian-made weapons were found in Iraq.
Iran confirmed discussions took place with the visiting Iraqi delegation to help end fighting in its neighbor. Tehran has in the past denied supporting militias loyal to Moqtada Al-Sadr.
“We support the Iraqi government’s efforts to disarm militiamen but we also advise (it) to avoid confronting people,” ISNA news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying. The official said Tehran would continue to support the Iraqi government and “make its utmost efforts to establish security in Iraq.” His comments were in line with those of the head of the Iraqi delegation, who said on Saturday after returning from Tehran that Iran supports the Iraqi government in its fight against militants.
