 Iran will strike Israel nuclear sites if attacked: minister Tehran (AFP) Dec 9, 2009 - Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Wednesday that Iran would strike Israeli installations making "dirty bombs and nuclear weapons" if attacked by Tehran's arch-foe. "Our first response would be to attack centres where they make chemical (or) biological (weapons), dirty bombs and nuclear weapons," Vahidi told reporters during a visit to Syria, Iran's Fars news agency reported. Israel, which has the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal, has never ruled out a military strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities to stop it developing a weapons capability. Iran stages frequent war games and shows off new weapons in a bid to signal its readiness to counter any military action against its nuclear facilities. |
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Iran's plan to build 10 new uranium enrichment plants was not aimed at confronting the UN atomic watchdog, which censured Tehran last month, the state television website reported. He also said Iran will continue to build the new plants, adding that sites for five of the 10 units had been finalised.
"The news that we announced (about the new plants) was not to confront the board of the agency, as we had assigned the (Iranian) atomic energy organisation to locate several sites (for the new plants) months ago," the website quoted him as saying.
"We recently even asked them (Iran's atomic agency) about the delay" in identifying the sites, Ahmadinejad said, adding that Iran has always "acted on its decisions, which are definite."
Soon after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) condemned Iran for building its second uranium enrichment plant late last month, Ahmadinejad announced his government's decision to build 10 new plants.
Iranian Vice President and atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said at the time that the plan to build the new plants was a response to the IAEA decision.
"The decision taken today is a firm reply to the indecent move by the five-plus-one in the latest IAEA meeting," Salehi said on November 29, referring to the six world powers comprising the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany who backed the IAEA resolution.
Twenty-five of the IAEA's 35 members voted against Tehran for building the second enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom.
The IAEA vote also followed Iran's rejection of a UN-brokered deal with major powers that would have seen it supplied with fuel for a Tehran reactor that produces medical isotopes in return for allaying Western concerns by shipping out most of its stocks of low-enriched uranium.
Ahmadinejad slammed "illogical interactions" in the international arena but stressed that Iran does not "welcome arguments and harsh words."
"Some like Britain and the Zionist regime are trying to put obstacles in our way and they think they can win something, but in the 30 past years their character has been questioned."
World powers had backed the IAEA proposal under which Iran would send most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia and France for conversion into nuclear fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.
But Iran rejected the proposal last month, insisting it wanted to hand over its LEU at the same time it receives the 20 percent enriched uranium, and that the handover must take place simultaneously inside Iran.
In another mixed signal Salehi said that Tehran's priority was to procure the needed nuclear fuel for its Tehran reactor from abroad.
"We still prefer that this fuel (for the Tehran research reactor) be provided through the International Atomic Energy Agency," Salehi was Wednesday quoted as saying on the website.
"Iran's announcement for supply of fuel with 20 percent enrichment for Tehran reactor from abroad has hidden political messages which we hope the negotiating partners understand."
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