Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that his country
would not give up "one iota" of its nuclear rights, state television reported.
"Our nation supports negotiations, but the world must know that the Iranian
nation will not back down one iota on its nuclear right," Ahmadinejad told a
rally in the town of Islamshahr, about 35 km southwest of Tehran.
"Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency have the rights to receive
assistance from the agency to develop the nuclear fuel circle," he said in the
speech broadcast live on the television.
The Iranian president also brushed aside possible sanctions against his
country, saying Iran had gained its capability in nuclear energy when the United
States imposed economic and scientific sanctions against Tehran.
EU foreign ministers issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that if Iran did
not comply with UN Security Council's requirements, the EU would "work for the
adoption of measures under Article 41 of the UN Charter," which stipulates
economic and diplomatic sanctions.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani warned on Wednesday that any
possible UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program
would cripple the chance of a peaceful solution to the issue.
