Iran: Threats Continue

Larijani press conference

Ali Larijani, Iran’s Top Nuclear Negotiator


April 25, 2006 (Stop Fundamentalism)- Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and Tehran’s top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday that Iran will cut off its relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if the UN Security Council imposes sanctions against it.

"If sanctions are imposed on Iran, then we will suspend our relations with the IAEA," Larijani cautioned the international community

Iran has caused and international standoff since 2003 when the Iranian opposition uncovered its clandestine nuclear activities.  IAEA referred Iran to the UN Security Council last year for noncompliance with its commitments to the None Proliferation Agreement which Iran is a signatory of.

Regarding a military attack Larijani said, "If the USA attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities, we will stop acting transparently in the nuclear field and continue covert nuclear work at other facilities," he said.

"Iran’s nuclear program cannot be stopped by force," Larijani cautioned the US and the Europeans.

On the other hand, the UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei is due on April 28 to report to the UN Security Council on the suspension of this country’s nuclear activities; the report as it seems will be a negative one.

"This report that is due on Friday is meant to cover Iran’s compliance with the demands of the (IAEA) board of governors and the Security Council," U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Gregory Schulte told Reuters.

"Given the announcement they made two weeks ago (about enriching uranium) and given the apparent failure to cooperate further with the IAEA, we can only expect a negative report."