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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (AP)
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Ahmadinejad: Israel and the U.S. would not dare attack Iran
By Reuters

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said neither Israel, nor the United States, would dare attack the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, a Spanish newspaper quoted him as saying in an interview.

The Iranian president was responding to a question on a recent article by Britain's Sunday Times that Israel had secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.

"They well know the power of the Iranian people. I don't think they would ever dare to attack us, neither them nor their masters. They won't do such a stupid thing," Ahmadinejad told El Mundo during a visit to Nicaragua, referring to Israel.
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Conservative Iranian leaders, such as Ahmadinejad, see Israel as a stooge of the United States in the Middle East.

Iran does not recognize Israel and Ahmadinejad has previously called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

"That regime wants to hurt the Iranian people. They have many dreams but they are not all powerful," said the Iranian leader.

Israel has refused to rule out pre-emptive military action against Iran along the lines of its 1981 air strike against an atomic reactor in Iraq, although many analysts think Iran's nuclear facilities are too much for Israel to destroy alone.

Asked about whether he wants to see Israel destroyed, Ahmadinejad avoided a direct answer, but seemed to refer to an earlier statement in which had said that Israel would be wiped out "just as the Soviet Union was wiped out."

"Where is the Soviet Union?" he told El Mundo, "It has disappeared."

The Iranian president called the Holocaust a "pretext" for the establishment of the "dictatorial, totalitarian" Israeli regime which "was created essentially to threaten other nations."

He said researchers were not allowed to "ask questions" about the Holocaust. "If it really existed, where did it take place," he queried, asking what the Palestinians had to do with it.

Western countries had "imposed" the "Zionist regime" on the region to promote their economic and political interests, Ahmadinejad charged.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, echoed the president's comments in Tehran when asked about the possibility of an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

"We have considered all the options and don't take these things that they say too seriously. They have enough brains not to carry out such mindless acts," Larijani was quoted as saying by Iran's official IRNA news agency on Wednesday.

The United Nations Security Council voted unamimously last month to impose sanctions on Iran to try to stop its uranium enrichment programme, which Tehran insists is peaceful.

The United States, which suspects Iran wants nuclear weapons, says it wants a diplomatic solution to the deadlock but military force remains an option.

Israel has said it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons
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  1.   Ahmadinejad, Be nice to your new benefactors 12:03  |  Dr Dave 17/01/07
  2.   Leftists on This Forum - Meet Your Soul Brother : Ahmadinejad 12:29  |  Klaudia 17/01/07
  3.   Didn`t the Russians just send them the Tor-1? 12:36  |  Dave McMahon 17/01/07
  4.   The Va`ance 12:43  |  ATH 17/01/07
  5.   israel and us attacking iran 12:44  |  hertzog 17/01/07
  6.   Hertzog, i don`t think you have any idea... 13:01  |  wasn`t me 17/01/07
  7.   Hey Hertzog BRING IT ON 13:11  |  Penny 17/01/07
  8.   Conservative? 13:13  |  Lynn Blatnica 17/01/07
  9.   The war with Iran 13:29  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 17/01/07
  10.   #1 Dave 13:34  |  Chris Linthwaite 17/01/07
  11.   Boring Klaudia 13:36  |  Mark B. 17/01/07
  12.   #1, #3 Two Daves and Russia 13:41  |  Boycott 17/01/07
  13.   # 5 Picking a fight 13:55  |  Lynn 17/01/07
  14.   Ahmadinejad Don`t Underestimate Our Resolve 13:57  |  David 17/01/07
  15.   Mark B. do u realize how boring the 14:01  |  Anubhav 17/01/07
  16.   The dangers of "underbombing" Iran 14:02  |  Scientist 17/01/07
  17.   # 9 War with Iran 14:02  |  Lynn 17/01/07
  18.   Ahmadinejerk sounds scared 14:04  |  Dave 17/01/07
  19.   # 10 Chris 14:05  |  Lynn 17/01/07
  20.   to Hertzog on Iranian might 14:06  |  Anubhav 17/01/07
  21.   # 12 Boycott 14:09  |  Lynn 17/01/07
  22.   "IRANIAN CONSERVATIVE LEADERS" 14:23  |  Robert 17/01/07
  23.   Ahmadi Is Really Starting To Tick Us Off! 14:23  |  Yosemite 17/01/07
  24.   Israel has said it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons 14:23  |  Sam (UK) 17/01/07
  25.   to Lynn on Saudi role 14:29  |  Anubhav 17/01/07
  26.   Klaudia? Is that really you? 14:30  |  S 17/01/07
  27.   Someone must inform Ahmadinejad 14:33  |  Mark Lincoln 17/01/07
  28.   This is to #5 14:38  |  Frank 17/01/07
  29.   to #6 14:42  |  Frank 17/01/07
  30.   To Penny #7 14:48  |  Frank 17/01/07
  31.   Ahmadinejad 14:49  |  Winner 17/01/07
  32.   to #24 15:05  |  Frank 17/01/07
  33.   Ahmadinejad. 15:14  |  David NIgel Braham 17/01/07
  34.   Russia and USSR 15:15  |  Informer 17/01/07
  35.   # 27 Mark Lincoln 15:15  |  Lynn 17/01/07
  36.   Ahmadinejad is, of course, right 15:16  |  Clickfool 17/01/07
  37.   # 24 Sam 15:17  |  Lynn 17/01/07
  38.   # 1 Dave: You do not understand 15:27  |  Edith 17/01/07
  39.   oh my God! 15:33  |  Edith 17/01/07
  40.   Don`t Worry; Be Happy 15:33  |  Informer 17/01/07
  41.   #24 to Sam from UK 15:34  |  Hastaroth 17/01/07
  42.   Iran just invited IAEA to inspect all Sites 15:42  |  Guy From NYC 17/01/07
  43.   Don`t believe everything you hear and see 15:45  |  Dave 17/01/07
  44.   No headlines but US,EU, Saudis,Jordan and Israel vs Iran 15:48  |  albert amato 17/01/07
  45.   Iran couldn`t beat Iraq in 8 years of fighting 15:56  |  Ben 17/01/07
  46.   And he`s still going on about the holocaust? 15:59  |  Ben 17/01/07
  47.   If America and Israel will attack... 16:00  |  Dutch Dirk 17/01/07
  48.   THE WAR WITH IRAN 16:05  |  DANNY. 17/01/07
  49.   War is a racket 16:08  |  Dave 17/01/07
  50.   HEY HERTZOG BRING IT ON. 16:09  |  DANNY. 17/01/07
  51.   He`s sacred stiff 16:14  |  Yonatan 17/01/07
  52.   Science Friction 16:17  |  Ronnie Wolman 17/01/07
  53.   Clickfool No. 34 is FAKE 16:19  |  Clickfool 17/01/07
  54.   FRANK IS THAT YOU IN HAIFA. NO 28. 16:20  |  DANNY. 17/01/07
  55.   Now I know he`s really crazy 16:26  |  George 17/01/07
  56.   #34 Clickfool: Not whether to bomb Iran but how 16:31  |  Scientist 17/01/07
  57.   Well Stated, Dave #37 16:33  |  Victor Smolinsky 17/01/07
  58.   Ahmadinejad does not know history 16:37  |  Brod 17/01/07
  59.   No win situation for Israel 16:38  |  Gerry 17/01/07
  60.   Ahmedinejad: The parties over. Now duck. 16:40  |  Ben 17/01/07
  61.   From President Ahmadinejad`s lips to God`s Ears 16:43  |  Timothy 17/01/07
  62.   No win situation for Israel 16:45  |  Gerry 17/01/07
  63.   Ahmadinejad Hynkel, Dictator of Irania 16:46  |  Tony Anthony 17/01/07
  64.   Israel`s Fault??? 16:52  |  What the hey... 17/01/07
  65.   saudi arabia in war against Iran 16:52  |  Angel of wind 17/01/07
  66.   Olmert, Ahmedinejad, Bush, etc. 16:54  |  Dave 17/01/07
  67.   thats what he thinks 17:16  |  alan 17/01/07
  68.   Israel is not allowed to attack Iran! 17:20  |  Dave 17/01/07
  69.   Danny #54 17:32  |  Frank 17/01/07
  70.   Saudi wants stability, not chaos 17:35  |  Mark Lincoln 17/01/07
  71.   Final thought 17:40  |  Dave 17/01/07
  72.   Final thought 17:43  |  Dave 17/01/07
  73.   hertzog 17:56  |  Pieter Nelis 17/01/07
  74.   #2 er, Klaudia---seems to me that the quote 18:01  |  ballistic 17/01/07
  75.   #6 well, er, one thing is for sure; they better 18:04  |  ballistic 17/01/07
  76.   #13, come on Lynn, they are "words" 18:16  |  ballistic 17/01/07
  77.   #14 David; remember Lebanon, Iran`s little brother 18:19  |  ballistic 17/01/07
  78.   #45 and Israel couldn`t beat Hez after 18:25  |  ballistic 17/01/07
  79.   #51 er, what evidence do you have to support your 18:26  |  ballistic 17/01/07
  80.   Actually, it is a rhetorical comment 18:27  |  Bimmer 17/01/07
  81.   LOOK HOW YOU TREATED THE INDIANS. 18:40  |  DANNY. 17/01/07