Ahmadinejad also told the Khaleej Times that Islam prohibited the use of nuclear arms and reiterated that Iran's nuclear program was peaceful. Posted on 10/01/2005 9:29:06 AM PDT by M. Espinola
Iran could hold back oil sales if it is referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions over its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a newspaper interview published Saturday.
Ahmadinejad also told the Khaleej Times that Islam prohibited the use of nuclear arms and reiterated that Iran's nuclear program was peaceful.
"If Iran's case is sent to the Security Council, we will respond by many ways, for example by holding back on oil sales," the president told the Dubai-based Khaleej Times.
Iran pumps about 4 million barrels daily, making it the second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia.
Crude oil exports normally account for about 80 percent of Iran's hard currency income, and an oil official last month projected revenues from oil exports this year at US$43 billion ( 35 billion).
Ahmadinejad was responding to a resolution passed last month by the International Atomic Energy Agency that put Iran on the verge of referral to the UN Security Council unless Teheran eases suspicions about its nuclear activities.
The president's threat was in addition to others voiced by Iran since the IAEA resolution.
Officials have threatened to resume uranium enrichment and block UN inspections of its nuclear facilities unless the UN nuclear agency stepped back from its resolution. Iran has also threatened to use trade to punish countries that voted for the resolution, and last week the parliament began debating a bill to force the government to scale back cooperation with the IAEA.
Ahmadinejad insisted that Iran's nuclear program was peaceful.
"Our religion prohibits us from having nuclear arms and our religious leader has prohibited it from the point of view of religious law. Its a closed road," he told the newspaper. "I insist we don't need nuclear arms and our laws don't allow us to produce them. We are always acting in accordance with international law."
The president criticized the resolution and foreign countries, however, for trying to impose their will on Iran and said he was determined to fight for Iran's rights to a nuclear fuel supply.
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes. The United States and some other countries suspect Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons.
"I said I'll do every thing in order to uphold our national interest," Ahmadinejad said of his campaign promises ahead of the June presidential election. "One of these things is that we will have access to the nuclear supply process. We don't want to be at war with the world, as you see they're trying to impose their will on our country. I have no worries about all that. We will have peace, prosperity and the nuclear supply cycle."
The IAEA resolution ordered Iran to ratify an additional protocol to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in its parliament, suspend all uranium enrichment activities, including uranium conversion, abandon the construction of a heavy water nuclear reactor and grant access to certain locations and documents.
The additional protocol requires any signatory country to report all its nuclear facilities to the IAEA and allow short-noticed intrusive inspections. Iran already allows this but parliament has not yet ratified the additional protocol.
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Has there been a single peep of protest by these 9th Century knucke draggers about Pakistan having the bomb?
No,I didn't think so.
Time to come up with another excuse,O Holy Ones!
I guess a flip side of this would be why are we giving money to the Mullah's and supporting their hate by buying their gas?
Even if they decide not sell us oil, China will gladly step in and buy up the rest.
North to Alaska! Drill in the snow - the time to start was three years ago.
We are keen for kicking Iran's a** because the moment they get a nuke, Israel will be gone. I would rather have a recession than the deaths of millions, thank you.
Q: What did Bush spent a lot of his "political capital" on, in speech after speech, right after his second inauguration?
I see you changed your Tagline too lol. Agree with it though.
RNC = Really Not Conservatives
Not to mention the pressuring of Israel to pull out of Gaza.
I'm hopeful that it was a tactical move by Israel to allow their enemies to assemble in one managable location for targetting.
If you can, check out the Honda civic hybrid.
How about the Ford Escape hybrid? made in the USA by the
American Auto workers union
Do it. Now. Please.
FMCDH(BITS)
It might happen yet or be a joint allied effort with Israel, England & others, since the Mullahs loving pushing all the wrong buttons.
"Time for the US to get more energy independant -"
We can do it and should not have to be forced by the likes of Tehran's tyrants.
"If you can - I have no agenda other than fuel independance - check out Honda Civic hybrid."
I'll check her out, it just I need a comfortable seat in a loaded highway cruiser, with powerhouse engine plus incredible gas mileage - I know, asking too much.
Some Israeli officials--they sounded like officials--said that Isreal would deal with the Iranian nuke program if no one else did. I am wondering how they will get their warplanes to Iran. If they go through Syria that still leaves a stretch of either Turkey or Iraq [Saudiland, unlikely] to pass over. If Turkey or Iraq lets them through that makes them complicit. If Turkey or Iraq makes a half-hearted attempt to stop them, they are probably off the hook. It would be better for the US to take out the program since the US is already turned from a butterfly to a slug.
They'll be back, after Abbas loses security control to the Islamo-facists and they start launching more rockets/attacks out of Gaza the IDF will go in and clean house once and for all. Washington will give it lip service in protest while winking at Sharon off camera/mic.
It wouldn't be the first time.
When Iran kicked british petroleum (then the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co.) out of their country in the early 50's, the Iranian economy took a huge hit, the Prime Minister was dumped and a weak Shah was propped up.
Local unrest and Operation Ajax saw to that.
"Iran could hold back oil sales if it is referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions over its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a newspaper interview published Saturday."
Hmm... Drill ANWR and keep the money in the US by building a whole new ecomony or give it to a rogue nation whose goal is to destroy us.
What would Brian Boitano do?
You are right as rain. I don't know what it will take to wake people up. We have our own vast energy sources and do not require one drop via Islamic OPEC.
Sounds like a very workable plan which solves two problems. Brian Boitano would drill new wells with his skates.
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