West cannot stop independent states

Iran says regional cooperation will deprive extra-regional countries of the opportunity to impose their irrational and unjust demands on independent states.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Saturday urged Western countries to replace their past approaches, which were against the interests of other nations, with cooperative and interactive ones.

”The message sent by such cooperation [including] the undertaking of peaceful projects such as the Bushehr plant to acquisitive states such as the US and the illegal Israeli regime is that they cannot stop independent states from asserting their rights,” Mehmanparast told Fars News Agency.

He added that by “respecting the rights of other nations the West could pave the way for its participation in different fields.”

Iran began injecting fuel into the Bushehr power plant on Saturday in southern part of the country. The plant was originally slated to be completed in 1999; however, extensive political and economic pressures by the US, Israel and their allies delayed its construction.

The Bushehr reactor will be fully fueled by September 22. It is expected to produce 500 megawatts of electricity in the initial stage, and its production capacity will increase to 1,000 megawatts in the near future.