Iran brooks no language of threat

A senior cleric says that the Iranian nation will give a strong response to “those who resort to using a language of threat and coercion.”

Referring to the nuclear non-proliferation conference in New York, Tehran’s Interim Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said, “The President’s visit to New York was truly remarkable and admirable. Ahmadinejad got the Iranian nation’s message across with utmost bravery, vigilance, and tactic.”

Ayatollah Khatami said the message that was conveyed to the world by Ahmadinejad was that “the United States is and has always been the first criminal” in the international arena.

He added that the anger of the US government, pro-Israeli lobbies and western-backed media outlets testifies to the “profound impact” of Ahmadinejad’s visit.

Referring to recent efforts by world powers to levy a new round of sanctions on Iran, Ayatollah Khatami said

“For more than thirty-one years, our ears have been filled with threats of sanctions and tough economic resolutions,” said the senior cleric.

Ahmadinejad, at the head of a high-ranking delegation, paid a five-day trip to New York, where he attended the month-long nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference at the UN headquarters.

He returned to Iran late on Wednesday.