Iran rejects West’s talks or war policy

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will not be cowed by UN Security Council’s sanctions, urging the West to recognize the rights of other nations.

“Those who attempt to confront the Iranian nation…are the ones who should fear the Iranian nation excluding them from its circle of friends, and that their image might be so tainted that no other nation will accept them,” Ahmadinejad’s official website quoted him as saying on Friday.

In an interview with Turkey’s national public broadcaster TRT, Ahmadinejad ruled out that the West has only two approaches to Iran’s nuclear program: military confrontation or diplomacy.

“This is not a faultless equation and there is a better way out and that is for the US administration and its allies to accept righteousness, law and justice and stop interfering in the affairs of others and on the other hand [they should] stop pressing the International Atomic Energy Agency to issue reports against Iran.”

Regarding Iran’s measures to alleviate Western concerns over its nuclear activities, the Iranian leader blamed such concerns on certain governments and their media which “do not represent world public opinion.”

“It unfortunately seems they have not managed to get over the colonial era and its dominant mindset.”

Referring to survey results showing US public trust in the Iranian nation, Ahmadinejad said many nations across the world are interested in Iran and its cause, in the face of “heavy propaganda campaigns and media bombardment” in those countries.

When asked about Iran’s reaction to a possible UN move to impose special sanctions on Tehran, Ahmadinejad said those special measures have already been taken against the country.

He condemned the US-engineered sanctions as cruel and worthless and scoffed at the capitalist superpowers’ “illusion” that with economic sanctions they can impose their will on other nations.

Downplaying the influence of Western sanctions on Iran’s economy, the president said, “Today, Iran has countless scientists and experts who can easily meet its demands.”