Sunday, January 13, 2008

Khamenei: U.S. won't bring Iran to its knees

Parisa Hafezi

But there's no need to be concerned about his saber-rattling. He also said that "building or using nuclear weapons is against" Sharia. Relax! TEHRAN (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday the United States would not be able to bring Iran to its knees in a row over sensitive nuclear work the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.

Khamenei also told the visiting head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog that Iran's nuclear file should be handled by the International Atomic Energy Agency not the U.N. Security Council, which has imposed two rounds of sanctions on Tehran.

"There is no justification for Iran's case to remain at the U.N. Security Council," official media quoted Iran's most powerful figure as telling IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei.

ElBaradei met Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a two-day visit to Tehran to push for more cooperation in resolving questions about Iran's atomic activity, which the United States fears will be used to make warheads.

[...]

"America's problem with Iran is beyond the nuclear issue," state television quoted Khamenei as saying.

"Americans are mistaken by thinking that by pressuring Iran over the nuclear issue they can break Iran. By bringing this and other issues to the fore, they cannot bring the Iranian nation to its knees," he said.

The IAEA has sought to verify that Iran's uranium enrichment program is geared solely to producing civilian energy.

Khamenei said that "building or using nuclear weapons is against" Islamic sharia law.

No comments: