REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHRAN - Iran's Supreme Leader said Saturday that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons, but that if Tehran intended to build them, the US couldn't stop it. Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran, also rejected direct talks with the US over its nuclear program despite the pressure of sanctions.
"We believe nuclear weapons must be abolished and we have no intention of building" such weaponry, Khamenei said in remarks posted on his website, leader.ir. But he added: "If Iran had the intention to build nuclear weapons, the US could in no way stop the Iranian nation."
He said Tehran would hold talks with the US if Washington respects Iran's rights instead of resorting to bullying.
"They want to deny the Iranian nation of its definite and inalienable right to uranium enrichment and peaceful use of nuclear energy. Of course, they won't succeed," Khamenei said.
Addressing a group of Iranians at his home in the capital, Tehran, Khamenei also scolded President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his conservative rivals for factional fighting, saying they should unite rather than quarrel at a time when the West was stepping up sanctions on Iran.
Iran recently has highlighted a religious decree Khamenei issued more than seven years ago that bans nuclear weapons in an effort to back up its claim that Tehran's nuclear program is being used for peaceful purposes and medical research. Iran authorities often cite the decree to counter Western suspicions that Iran could ultimately move toward an atomic bomb.
Tehran, however, has left UN nuclear inspectors empty-handed when it comes to addressing Western suspicions that it's conducting tests related to nuclear weapons. Three rounds of talks last year made no headway on the West's main demand: That Iran halt its highest-level uranium enrichment.
Iran is living under stepped-up Western sanctions that include a total oil embargo and banking restrictions that make it increasingly difficult for Iran's Asian customers to pay for oil deliveries. Tehran insists the sanctions won't force it to give up its nuclear program.
"Sanctions hurt the people. But there are two options. One is to surrender and repent in the face of the bullying powers like weak nations," Khamenei said. "The other is to activate domestic resources and capabilities like a brave nation and triumphantly pass the danger zone. Undoubtedly, the Iranian nation has chosen the second option."
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