De komende Iraanse verkiezingen hebben al tot de nodige dreigementen aan het adres van Israel geleid, hoewel Achmadinejad daar geen verkiezingen voor nodig heeft. Hij heeft ook - nogmaals - een overeenkomst over Irans nucleaire programma uitgesloten. Iran heeft ook zes oorlogsschepen naar internationale wateren gestuurd.
Achmadinejad wil wel graag met Obama debateren, maar niet met het Westen onderhandelen over het Iraanse atoomprogramma. Bush werd bekritiseerd om zijn weigering met Iran te onderhandelen, maar de open benadering van Obama levert vooralsnog niet meer resultaat op dan eerdere vruchteloze pogingen van onder meer Rusland en Europa, die enkel aan het lijntje werden gehouden door Teheran.
Last update - 18:17 25/05/2009
Iran rejects Western proposal for freezing Nuclear program
By Agencies
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088069.html
Iran rejects Western proposal for freezing Nuclear program
By Agencies
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088069.html
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday rejected a Western proposal for Tehran to "freeze" its nuclear work in return for no new sanctions and ruled out any talks with major powers on the issue.
The comments by the conservative president, who is seeking re-election in a June 12 presidential vote, are likely to further disappoint the United States administration of President Barack Obama, which is seeking to engage Iran diplomatically.
The United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain said in April they would invite Iran to a meeting to try and find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear row.
The West accuses Iran of secretly developing atomic weapons. Iran, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, denies the charge and says it only wants nuclear power to generate electricity.
The West accuses Iran of secretly developing atomic weapons. Iran, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, denies the charge and says it only wants nuclear power to generate electricity.
Breaking with past U.S. policy of shunning direct talks with Iran, Obama's administration said it would join such discussions with Tehran from now on.
"Our talks [with major powers] will only be in the framework of cooperation for managing global issues and nothing else. We have clearly announced this," Ahmadinejad said.
"The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us," he told a news conference.
Ahmadinejad was asked about a so-called "freeze-for-freeze" proposal first put forward last year under which Iran would freeze expansion of its nuclear program in return for the UN Security Council halting further sanctions against Tehran.
Western diplomats say the proposal remains on the table. Ahmadinejad last month said Iran had prepared its own package of proposals to end the stalemate.
"We will not allow anyone to negotiate with us outside the agency's regulations and issues," he said on Monday, referring to the UN International Atomic Energy Agency. "From now on we will continue our path in the framework of the agency."
Obama has offered a new beginning of diplomatic engagement with Iran if it "unclenches its fist", but Washington has not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails.
Ahmadinejad, facing a challenge in the election from moderates advocating detente with the West, has made angry rhetoric against the United States and it allies his trademark since he came to power in 2005.
Challenge to Obama
Ahmadinejad called Monday for a face-to-face debate with his American counterpart Barack Obama at the United Nations.
Ahmadinejad called Monday for a face-to-face debate with his American counterpart Barack Obama at the United Nations.
The challenge was made at a news conference as he stepped up his campaign for re-election in Iran's June 12 presidential vote.
Iran says it is ready for "constructive" talks but has repeatedly rejected demands to halt sensitive uranium enrichment which can have both civilian and military purposes.
No cooperation with North Korea
Asked about North Korea's nuclear test on Monday, Ahmadinejad said: "In principle we oppose the production, expansion and the use of weapons of mass destruction."
Asked about North Korea's nuclear test on Monday, Ahmadinejad said: "In principle we oppose the production, expansion and the use of weapons of mass destruction."
He said Iran had no missile or nuclear cooperation with North Korea.
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May 25, 2009 16:57 | Updated May 25, 2009 19:13
'Iran sends 6 warships to int'l waters'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243259513860&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
'Iran sends 6 warships to int'l waters'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243259513860&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is calling for a face-to-face debate with American counterpart Barack Obama at the United Nations.
The offer came at news conference Monday as Ahmadinejad stepped up his campaign for reelection in the June 12 presidential vote.
If returned to office, Ahmadinejad says he wants to meet Obama during the UN General Assembly in September to debate "world issues and the way toward peace."
Ahmadinejad is in a four-way race against a fellow hard-liner and two pro-reform candidates. The campaign has grown more bitter in recent days with reformists accusing authorities of trying to undercut their strength by blocking the social networking site Facebook.
Meanwhile, Iran has sent six warships to international waters, including the Gulf of Aden, to display its ability to confront any foreign threats, its naval commander was quoted by a local news agency as saying on Monday.
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted by the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) as announcing the dispatch of the vessels only five days after Iran test-fired a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 2,000 km.
The Islamic republic said that on May 14 it had sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden to protect oil tankers from the world's fifth-largest crude exporter against pirate attacks. It was not clear whether those two were of the six mentioned by the admiral on Monday.
"Iran has dispatched six ... warships to international waters and the Gulf of Aden region in an historically unprecedented move by the Iranian Navy," Sayyari told a gathering of armed forces officials. He added that preserving Iran's territorial integrity in its southern waters called for the "perseverance and firmness" of the navy.
The move to dispatch the warships was "indicative of the country's high military capability in confronting any foreign threat on the country's shores," Sayyari said.
The ISNA report did not mention the threat of pirate attacks, which, fueled by large ransoms, have continued almost unabated despite the presence of an armada of foreign warships patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
Also Monday, Ahmadinejad rejected the latest proposal by the West in its bid to bring Iran to halt its nuclear program.
"The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us," Ahmadinejad told a news conference. "Our talks [with major powers] will only be in the framework of cooperation for managing global issues and nothing else. We have clearly announced this," Reuters reported.
According to the proposal, made last year, Iran would freeze expansion of its nuclear program and in return the UN would freeze all economic sanctions against the country. Western diplomats say the offer still stands.
"We will not allow anyone to negotiate with us outside the agency's regulations and issues," Ahmadinejad said, referring to the UN International Atomic Energy Agency. "Our activities will only be in the framework of the agency's regulations."
The United States and its allies suspect Iran is seeking to build nuclear bombs, a charge Teheran denies. Obama offered a new beginning of diplomatic engagement with Iran if it "unclenches its fist."
Asked about North Korea's nuclear test on Monday, Ahmadinejad said, "In principle, we oppose the production, expansion and the use of weapons of mass destruction."
The offer came at news conference Monday as Ahmadinejad stepped up his campaign for reelection in the June 12 presidential vote.
If returned to office, Ahmadinejad says he wants to meet Obama during the UN General Assembly in September to debate "world issues and the way toward peace."
Ahmadinejad is in a four-way race against a fellow hard-liner and two pro-reform candidates. The campaign has grown more bitter in recent days with reformists accusing authorities of trying to undercut their strength by blocking the social networking site Facebook.
Meanwhile, Iran has sent six warships to international waters, including the Gulf of Aden, to display its ability to confront any foreign threats, its naval commander was quoted by a local news agency as saying on Monday.
Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted by the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) as announcing the dispatch of the vessels only five days after Iran test-fired a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 2,000 km.
The Islamic republic said that on May 14 it had sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden to protect oil tankers from the world's fifth-largest crude exporter against pirate attacks. It was not clear whether those two were of the six mentioned by the admiral on Monday.
"Iran has dispatched six ... warships to international waters and the Gulf of Aden region in an historically unprecedented move by the Iranian Navy," Sayyari told a gathering of armed forces officials. He added that preserving Iran's territorial integrity in its southern waters called for the "perseverance and firmness" of the navy.
The move to dispatch the warships was "indicative of the country's high military capability in confronting any foreign threat on the country's shores," Sayyari said.
The ISNA report did not mention the threat of pirate attacks, which, fueled by large ransoms, have continued almost unabated despite the presence of an armada of foreign warships patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
Also Monday, Ahmadinejad rejected the latest proposal by the West in its bid to bring Iran to halt its nuclear program.
"The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us," Ahmadinejad told a news conference. "Our talks [with major powers] will only be in the framework of cooperation for managing global issues and nothing else. We have clearly announced this," Reuters reported.
According to the proposal, made last year, Iran would freeze expansion of its nuclear program and in return the UN would freeze all economic sanctions against the country. Western diplomats say the offer still stands.
"We will not allow anyone to negotiate with us outside the agency's regulations and issues," Ahmadinejad said, referring to the UN International Atomic Energy Agency. "Our activities will only be in the framework of the agency's regulations."
The United States and its allies suspect Iran is seeking to build nuclear bombs, a charge Teheran denies. Obama offered a new beginning of diplomatic engagement with Iran if it "unclenches its fist."
Asked about North Korea's nuclear test on Monday, Ahmadinejad said, "In principle, we oppose the production, expansion and the use of weapons of mass destruction."
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