âIran would rather be hit by sanctions than back down ...'
TEHRAN - Iran would rather submit to UN economic sanctions than back down on its nuclear program, the defence minister said on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog on how to respond to Iranâs resumption of uranium conversion.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials said they have improved the range and accuracy of the Shahab-3 missile which is a conventional weapon but can be fitted with a nuclear warhead. The missile can now strike targets as far away as 2,000 kilometers with an accuracy of within one meter, they said.
Iran denies US accusations that its nuclear program aims to develop weapons, saying it is intended only to produce electricity.
The missiles are only for a space program ... | Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Iranâs outgoing defense minister, said the board should consult with Iran on âwhy it did not follow the Paris Agreement.â He underlined that Tehran has not violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which gives countries the right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology. âWe will go along with possible sanctions rather than submit to humiliation if there is no other choice,â he told a press conference in Tehran.
Ali Agha Mohammadi, a spokesman for Iranâs Supreme National Security Council, said Iranian officials would explain their countryâs stance to the IAEA. Iran continues to give the IAEA access to its nuclear sites. But Shamkhani warned that if the United States or any other country tries to attack its sites it would cut ties with the agency. âIf some day they attack, we will drop all our nuclear commitments,â he said. âWe are capable of meeting our defense needs and improving (the Shahab-3âs) specifications at any time.â He did not mention retaliating to an attack by military means.
Gen. Ahmad Vahid, the father of Iranâs missile industry, told the Associated Press that Iran has boosted the missileâs range from about 1,300 kilometers to 2,000 kilometers. âWe have been working on the missileâs range since we started manufacturing it,â said Vahid, a member of Iranâs elite Revolutionary Guards. In July, Iran said it carried out a successful test of a solid fuel motor for the Shahab-3. Vahid did not specify whether the new fuel was behind the missileâs improved performance.
Iran has been careful to disperse its nuclear facilities and protect parts of it underground, wary of airstrikes to take out the program such as the 1981 Israeli air raid that destroyed neighbouring Iraqâs main nuclear reactor at Osirak.
Shamkhani said Iranâs missiles were not targeting any particular country. âWe have reached a level of regional deterrence,â he said.
Posted by: Steve White 2005-08-10 |