Iran 'going nuclear within weeks'

Iran defied imminent United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme yesterday and pledged that it would become a member of the nuclear club within weeks. After weeks of haggling between major world powers, a resolution is expected to be approved by the UN Security Council before Christmas. “The nature of this resolution is not capable of pressuring Iran, and Iran will give an appropriate response to it,” said Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and main negotiator on atomic issues. “This behaviour will just create more problems.” Following Iran’s failure to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work, the resolution is expected to ban imports and exports of materials and technology relating to uranium enrichment, reprocessing and heavy-water reactors, as well as ballistic missile delivery systems. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, yesterday reiterated a prediction that Iran will announce going nuclear in February during celebrations of the 1979 Islamic revolution against the Shah. Addressing a rally in west Iran, he said his country’s nuclear plans would inspire other nations. He revelled in mocking President George W Bush and the West. “Some so-called superpowers… think that they can control the whole world,” he said. “I’m telling them: Open your eyes, today, the world no longer thinks your decisions have any value.” His typically outspoken remarks came after the American president said his Iranian counterpart was out of step with the rest of the world. On a tour of the Middle East this week Tony Blair called on moderate Muslim states to line up against Iran, which he accused of supporting extremist elements in southern Iraq and Lebanon. Since his surprising election victory last year, Mr Ahmadinejad has accelerated Iran’s nuclear programme, which western powers suspect is aimed at producing nuclear weapons in five to 10 years. Mr Ahmadinejad has said Israel should be “wiped off the map”.
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