By Xinhua
Tehran : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday repeated his defiance towards Western powers which were pushing new sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program, saying Tehran would not back down from its rights, state television reported.
Ahmadinejad made the remarks to large crowds at Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, where the country’s first nuclear power plant was being built with the assistance of Russia.
“You (Western countries) are making mistakes if you think Iranian people will back down … the people will not retreat one inch over their rights,” Ahmadinejad said in a live broadcasted speech.
“We are moving towards the peak over the nuclear road… and the nuclear issue is finishing in our favor because of the God’s help and people’s resistance,” he added.
Western countries have alleged that Iran was using the cover of a civilian nuclear program to develop nuclear weapons, which was repeatedly denied by Tehran.
The UN Security Council has adopted two resolutions — one in December 2006 and the other in March of 2007 — to force Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities and to give up its nuclear programs. However, the resolutions were called “useless paper” by Iranian officials.
World powers last week have agreed the outline of the third sanction resolution against Iran and the Security Council has held discussions on it Monday.
Iran has downplayed the effect of possible new sanctions, saying Tehran would show a “serious and logical reaction” if the Security Council issued a third resolution.