Larijani says Israel cannot attack Iran with US support: report

Larijani told journalists in Lahore the United States had weak points in the Middle East and would not dare embark on another military engagement there, according to the the Pakistani website www.paktribune.com Saturday.

"We are aware that, having learnt its lesson from recent Lebanon adventure despite possessing over 200 nuclear warheads, Israel is not in a position to attack us," the site quoted him as saying. "What they are saying is sheer slogan-chanting."

"The recent Lebanese war has exposed the myth of Zionist military might and the result of the conflict there has left Israeli Prime Minister Olmert as a dead body," Larijani added.

He vowed that Iran would continue to pursue its peaceful nuclear programme and would never compromise on principles.

"We could neither be harassed nor forced to abandon our national interests. My country is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and our programme is under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," he said.

"How could IAEA and the West blame Iran for any illegal activity while the Agency's cameras are covering every activity and its inspectors have been inspecting each of Iran`s nuclear installations?" Larijani asked.

He said that while Iranian leadership was against developing nuclear weapons, it believed that no one could stop other states to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

"Actually America and the West are not willing to allow any Islamic country to be self-sufficient in the fields of economy and nuclear technology," Larijani said.

He also accused the US of "misusing" a confession by Pakistan's pioneering nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan that he had transferred nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

"I think the US intended to pressure Pakistan and misuse this issue. Our nuclear technology is indigenous and such assistance have been at the academic level," he said.

Larijani said Iran would retaliate against any sanctions imposed on it.

"If they impose sanctions they will face our reaction," he said.

Diplomats said Iran, under the threat of UN sanctions over its nuclear program, was trying to parry charges that it has failed to cooperate fully with the IAEA inquest.

Iran says its program is a peaceful effort to generate electricity.

Source

About headlines and content that has changed after it was added to this site - see disclaimer here

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.