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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (AP)
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| By Associated Press April 20, 2006 |
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Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad maintained his drumbeat of defiance Tuesday, warning that Tehran would "cut off the hand of any aggressor" and insisting the military must be ready with the most modern ftechnology.
Speaking to military officers at a parade marking Army Day, Ahmadinejad said, "Today, you are among the world's most powerful armies because you rely on God."
"Iran's enemies know your courage, faith and commitment to Islam and the land of Iran has created a powerful army that can powerfully defend the political borders and the integrity of the Iranian nation and cut off the hand of any aggressor and place the sign of disgrace on their forehead," Ahmadinejad said.
The Iranian leader issued his comments as tension between Iran and the international community escalated over Tehran's refusal to stop enriching uranium.
The United States, Israel and France have accused Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to produce nuclear weapons. Iran says it is only building nuclear facilities to generate electricity.
Ahmadinejad said Iran's army "has to be constantly ready, equipped and powerful. It has to be equipped with the latest technologies, recognize the enemy and constantly be vigilant." He spoke to military officers before a parade of the armed forces in southern Tehran.
While threatening possible aggressors, Ahmadinejad said Iran's army would "serve peace and security for mankind especially the region and its neighbors."
The "power of our army will be no threat to any country. Our army carries the message of peace and security... . It is humble toward friends and a shooting star toward enemies," he said.
Ahmadinejad is thought to make such speeches for personal as well as national reasons. As a president who was elected with a score of only 19.5 percent in the first round, he seeks to bolster his position as well as champion a cause - nuclear power - that enjoys almost universal support among Iranians.
He also believes that tough language projects him as a strong leader. It reflects his background in the Revolutionary Guards, with whom he served as a professional soldier during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88.
The political tone in Iran has hardened during the past two years with the defeat of the reformist candidates in the parliamentary and presidential elections. While Ahmadinejad is seen as leading the charge against foreign pressure, other members of the ruling hierarchy convey the same message but in softer terms.
Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani was visiting Kuwait on Tuesday where he said that if the United States ever attacked Iran, he was certain that Kuwait - a key U.S. ally in the Gulf that hosts thousands of American soldiers - would not take sides.
The comments drew no immediate endorsement from Kuwaiti officials, who have reacted to his visit with caution.
Rafsanjani said his visit was to allay Gulf nations' fears about Iran's nuclear intentions. But in fact, Rafsanjani seemed to be signaling to Gulf nations that they should not take sides in Iran's standoff with the United States.
In Moscow, the Kremlin said it remained opposed to sanctions against Iran, as senior diplomats from six countries prepared to meet over dinner in the Russian capital to map out next steps toward solving the Iranian nuclear crisis.
"We are convinced that it's impossible to lift concerns of the world community about the Iranian nuclear program by sanctions or the use of force," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin.
Russia's U.N. Ambassador Andrey Denisov refused to predict what would happen if Iran does not suspend enrichment - a process that can help make a nuclear bomb - before an April 28 deadline. But he insisted the standoff had to be resolved diplomatically.
Iran used the Army Day parade to display its latest weapons, including radar-avoiding missiles, super-fast torpedoes, and other domestically produced arms.
During war games in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea earlier this month, Iran test-fired what it called an "ultra-horizon" missile that could be fired from military helicopters and jet fighters. The missile does not use over the horizon targeting that other missiles require to hit targets at maximum range.
The United States said Iran may have made "some strides" in its weapons program, but it was likely to be exaggerating its capabilities. Iran denied the charge.
Iran launched an arms development program during its war with Iraq to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo.
Ahmadinejad has engaged in a series of high-profile threatening statements since announcing last week that Iran has successfully enriched uranium using 164 centrifuges, a significant step toward the large-scale production of a material that can be used to fuel nuclear reactors or to build atomic bombs.
The president claimed for the first time that Iran was researching the construction of a P-2 centrifuge for enriching uranium. Such a device would be a vast improvement over the P-1 centrifuges that Iran has used up to now.
But some analysts familiar with Iran's technology said Ahmadinejad could be deliberately exaggerating Iran's capabilities, either to boost his own political support or to persuade the U.N. nuclear watchdog to back off.
Last week, Ahmadinejad rebuffed a request from Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, saying Tehran will not retreat "one iota."
Iranian President Ahmadinejad's recent comments on Israel, the Holocaust and Tehran's nuclear program
Here are some of Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad's recent comments on opposition to Tehran's nuclear program, talk of a U.S. military attack, the Holocaust and Israel.
- Friday, at a Tehran conference in support of the Palestinians: "Like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation. The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm."
- Thursday, regarding anger over Iran's nuclear program: "We won't hold talks with anyone about the right of the Iranian nation (to enrich uranium) and no one has the right to retreat, even one iota. ...Our answer to those who are angry about Iran achieving the full nuclear fuel cycle is just one phrase. We say: 'Be angry at us and die of this anger."'
- Jan. 1, On the creation of Israel after World War II: "Don't you think that continuation of genocide by expelling Jews from Europe was one of their (the Europeans') aims in creating a regime of occupiers of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)?. ...Isn't that an important question?"
- Dec. 14, In a speech to thousands in the southeastern city of Zahedan: "Today, they (Europeans) have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets. ...If you committed this big crime, then why should the oppressed Palestinian nation pay the price? ...This is our proposal: If you committed the crime, then give a part of your own land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to them so that the Jews can establish their country."
- Oct. 2005: After a suicide bomb attack on Israel: "There is no doubt that the new wave in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world." Israel should be "wiped off the map."
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