Iran vows to 'resist' pressure

2005-08-09 12:07

Tehran - Iran will "resist" mounting international pressure over its nuclear programme and is not worried about threats of UN Security Council intervention, a top minister said on Monday.

"Should we accept humiliation, the sanctions, see ourselves be punished, or should we resist? I think that we should resist," Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani told journalists.

"What are they going to do at the Security Council, impose sanctions on us? Sanctions have already been imposed on us," he added.

Shamkhani's comments came hours ahead of an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over Iran's resumption on Monday of ultra-sensitive uranium conversion activities after a nine month suspension.

Although Shamkhani judged it "probable" that Iran would be sent to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme, he predicted that this would not be happening in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's meeting.

"It is not as though they are going to send us tomorrow to the Security Council.

"I think that they will adopt a resolution against Iran which will ask why it has stopped applying the Paris agreement" concluded in November with the Europeans under which Iran suspended uranium enrichment and conversion activities.

Shamkhani, who is in his last days in government ahead of the announcement of a new administration by new President Mahmood Ahmadinejad, is seen as a marginal figure in the nuclear issue.

But he was only Iranian official to go public Tuesday on the mounting crisis.

He reaffirmed that Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon but warned that "if one day our nuclear installations are attacked we will put aside all our nuclear engagements."

- AFP