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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Reuters)
Last update - 12:41 30/01/2008
Ahmadinejad tells West: Accept Israel's 'imminent collapse'
By DPA and Haaretz Services
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Iran, Israel

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the West Wednesday to acknowledge Israel's "imminent collapse."

Speaking to a crowd on a visit to the southern port of Bushehr, where Iran's first light-water nuclear power plant is being built by Russia, Ahmadinejad further incited his listeners to "stop supporting the Zionists, as [their] regime reached its final stage."
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"Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end," the Iranian president said in a televised speech.

He added, "What we have right now is the last chapter [of Israeli atrocities] which the Palestinians and regional nations will confront and eventually turn in Palestine's favor."

Iran does not acknowledge Israel and Ahmadinejad has in the past sparked international outcry by referring to the systematic murder of six million Jews in World War II as a "myth" and calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Iran is currently also mediating in the crisis over the Gaza Strip, where Israel has imposed a blockade on border crossings into the coastal territory, barring the entry of supplies into the already impoverished area. Last week, Palestinian militants blew holes in the barrier separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt, prompting hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour into Egypt in search of supplies.

Ahmadinejad also urged the Western powers to help build nuclear power plants in his country saying it will be too late if they do not decide to do so immediately.

"If you will not come, this nation will build nuclear plants based on its own resources and when you come some four years later it will reject your request and not then give you any opportunity," he said.

"I am addressing leaders of two or three powers; do you remember I sent you message and told you to stop be stubborn? If you think that you can block the movement of Iranian nation, you are wrong," the Iranian president continued.

Also on Wednesday Ahmad Fayyazbakhsh, the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization told reporters the first Iranian-made light-water 360 megawatt nuclear power plant will go operational in 2016 in the southwestern Iranian town of Darkhovin.

The official also said that the Bushehr plant would go on test operation in October, though its precision instruments have yet to be delivered.

The United Nations Security Council has been trying to pressure Iran to freeze uranium enrichment, but it has repeatedly refused, and officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency have privately said Tehran is expanding the program.

The Security Council is considering a new draft resolution that calls for additional sanctions against Iran, including bans on travel. Two sets of sanctions have already been imposed on Iran for refusing to halt enrichment.

The five veto-wielding members of the council - the U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia - along with Germany, agreed last week on the basic terms of the new resolution. Diplomats have said the full, 15-nation Security Council will likely approve it next month.

Iran insists its enrichment activities are intended only to produce fuel for nuclear reactors that would generate electricity, but the U.S. and others suspect Tehran's real aim is to produce nuclear bombs.

A U.S. intelligence report released last month, however, concluded Tehran had stopped its nuclear weapons program in late 2003 and had not resumed it since.

Iranian officials have said they plan to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity through nuclear energy in the next two decades.

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      1.   What Ahmadinejad doesn`t know that his end 11:53  |  viking 30/01/08
      2.   As if coming from Levy,Eldar,Benziman ,"Peace Now" 11:54  |  Absolute Sweden 30/01/08
      3.   Israel tells East and West: `Accept Iran`s imminent demise` 11:58  |  Israeli 30/01/08
      4.   Shas tells us its becuase of the Gays 11:58  |  SJ 30/01/08
      5.   Puppet of Mesbah-Yazdi yaps again 12:09  |  Mike 30/01/08
      6.   And Why Do We Care What This Idiot Says? 12:11  |  dyinglikeflies 30/01/08
      7.   Well Mahmoud, welcome then in the States of United Gaza 12:18  |  Karl 30/01/08
      8.   What Are We Waiting For ? 12:30  |  Phil 30/01/08
      9.   what a monkey 12:39  |  mira 30/01/08
      10.   Ahmadingdong 12:48  |  Rabbi Izzy Lahm 30/01/08
      11.   The" weather report", was wrongly translated. 12:56  |  Stephen. 30/01/08
      12.   Tell us what he didn`t say this time, hohmalogs 13:02  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 30/01/08
      13.   ahmadinejad 13:10  |  eva 30/01/08
      14.   Ahamadinejad is right this time 13:14  |  Star of David 30/01/08
      15.   No question that israel can no longer continue in its old ways! 13:16  |  lakshmi 30/01/08
      16.   Ahmadinejad tells West: Accept Israel`s `imminent collapse` 13:21  |  thomas 30/01/08
      17.   Even the Mullahs are getting sick of him.The last refuge 13:25  |  PETER SM 30/01/08
      18.   Ahmadinejad is toast 13:28  |  ATLAS 30/01/08
      19.   Irans to become a nuclear crater yet he still is talking smack 13:30  |  NUCLEAR POTENTIAL 30/01/08
      20.   why quote him? 13:31  |  sWeis Melbourne 30/01/08
      21.   THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH GENOCIDAL JIHADIST ENEMIES 13:33  |  G. Marcus 30/01/08
      22.   Re this Ahmad bloke... 13:37  |  Esther 30/01/08
      23.   A`jad sounds like radio berlin in april 1945 13:42  |  ziggurat 30/01/08
      24.   Sweetheart, (Ahmadinejad)... 13:45  |  Edith 30/01/08
      25.   Iranian Jews 13:47  |  Ken 30/01/08
      26.   Isn`t there a fatma 13:48  |  Miche Norman 30/01/08
      27.   Can`t wait for his term to run out. 13:50  |  Jens 30/01/08
      28.   Hi lakshmi 13:50  |  Nicola 30/01/08
      29.   To Phil 13:50  |  Mark B. 30/01/08
      30.   One of these days Ahmad...one of these days... 13:51  |  Nechama 30/01/08
      31.   Nice one Stephen! 13:52  |  Star of David 30/01/08
      32.   #14 Star of David, I don`t think so 13:53  |  Edith 30/01/08
      33.   Go figure!!NIE. Who? 13:56  |  Buzaglow 30/01/08
      34.   Islam Channal 13:56  |  Cheops 30/01/08
      35.   Iran 13:57  |  Steve a 30/01/08
      36.   LAKSHMI Worry about nuclear armed Islamist Pakistan 14:08  |  PETER SM 30/01/08
      37.   For Esther 14:13  |  Star of David 30/01/08
      38.   Sorry, Edith #32 14:15  |  Star of David 30/01/08
      39.   THIS MAN IS A BIGGER THREAT TO WORLD JEWRY THAN HITLER !!! 14:15  |  Anthony Fallon 30/01/08
      40.   Lakshmi 14:19  |  Ken 30/01/08
      41.   TO EDITH 14:20  |  Nicole 30/01/08
      42.   Iran must be broken up, its enslaved nations liberated ! 14:25  |  Iranian Kurd 30/01/08
      43.   Either or 14:27  |  Nuchem 30/01/08
      44.   the blind clown, Ahmadiinejad 14:28  |  thomas 30/01/08
      45.   To the Good People of Iran 14:29  |  Proud Israeli 30/01/08
      46.   # 15 lakshmi...yes, it is with Iran 14:35  |  Lynn 30/01/08
      47.   By what right does the UN do this? 14:38  |  Clickfool 30/01/08
      48.   Ahmadinejad and their plan of annihilation 14:50  |  Brod 30/01/08
      49.   The Ape of Teheran. 14:54  |  Harold Lane 30/01/08
      50.   If someone had taken Hitler out before the Nazi war machine 15:26  |  The Equalizer 30/01/08
      51.   " In each and every generation they rise up to destroy us" 15:33  |  Sam 30/01/08
      52.   #49 To Harold Lane 15:37  |  Hastaroth 30/01/08
      53.   History repeats itself, Mahmoud A. 15:37  |  David 30/01/08
      54.   Hopefully Ahmedinijad will be proved correct 15:40  |  Paul Wood 30/01/08
      55.   # 39 Antony Fallon 15:48  |  Edith 30/01/08
      56.   #39 Anthony Fallon 15:50  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/01/08
      57.   #39 Anthony Fallon 15:50  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/01/08
      58.   To 6 Dying like flys 15:54  |  Realist 30/01/08
      59.   Ahmadinejad 15:54  |  M Morrison 30/01/08
      60.   horse`s patoot 15:54  |  jewish doctor 30/01/08
      61.   Losing a war 15:58  |  Realist 30/01/08
      62.   The end for Iran is near -- John McCain 16:03  |  Mahmoud 30/01/08
      63.   Iran..Does anyone care? 16:05  |  Mike 30/01/08
      64.   why pay attention to this man?! 16:06  |  bashar 30/01/08
      65.   Recognize Iran and help it RIGHT ??? 16:08  |  M. S. 30/01/08
      66.   Just do it already. 16:11  |  Rob 30/01/08
      67.   Iran is like Ottoman empire 16:12  |  Herbert Kaine 30/01/08
      68.   Uh, OK madjad... 16:16  |  Todd M. 30/01/08
      69.   Ahmadinejad is a Russian stooge... 16:20  |  Steve Stebbing 30/01/08
      70.   Israel 16:23  |  Cindy 30/01/08
      71.