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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waving as he arrives at Kuala Lumpur Airport on Monday. (AP)
Last update - 19:18 07/07/2008
Ahmadinejad: Israel and U.S. won't dare attack Iran
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: centrifuges, nuclear, Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday said his country would not stop enriching uranium, as demanded by the international community, and charged that Israel and the United States were too scared to attack.

He rejected as "illegitimate" the demand by major powers that Iran stop producing enriched uranium, which can be used as fuel for power plants, or if refined much more, provide material for nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, a British newspaper, quoting intelligence reports received by Western diplomats, reported Monday that Iran has resumed work aimed at producing a nuclear bomb.
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The remarks were Ahmadinejad's first comment on the dispute since Iran
delivered its response on Friday to a package of incentives offered by world powers seeking to curb its nuclear activities.

"They offer to hold talks but at the same time they threaten us and say we should accept their illegitimate demand to halt [enrichment work]," Ahmadinejad told reporters in Malaysia, where he was attending a summit of eight developing countries.

"They want us to abandon our right [to nuclear technology]," he said.

"Even if some countries like Israel and the United States join forces they will not dare to attack Iran and they know it very well," Ahmadinejad told Malaysian television. "They know that they cannot use the language of force against Iran and must bend in the face of the will of the Iranian people."

The United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany demand that Iran suspend its enrichment work before formal talks can start on their revised package, which includes help to develop a civilian nuclear programme. Iran, the world's fourth-biggest oil exporter, says its nuclear activities are peaceful. The United States and its
Western allies suspect they are a cover to build atomic bombs.

The Daily Telegraph reported Monday that Iran had set up a number of civilian companies whose activities, it said, were being deliberately concealed from the United Nations nuclear inspection teams.

"The companies, based on the outskirts of Tehran, are working on constructing components for the advanced P2 gas centrifuge, which can enrich uranium to weapons grade two to three times faster than conventional P1 centrifuges," the report said, adding that the firms were set up by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which oversees Iran's nuclear program.

Nuclear experts were quoted as saying the centrifuges are highly sophisticated devices mainly used in the manufacture of atomic weapons.

"The work is aimed at developing the blueprint provided by Dr AQ Khan, the 'father' of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, who sold Iran details of how to build atom bombs in the early 1990s," the newspaper said.

The offer of trade and other incentives proposed by the world powers was presented last month by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Iran has put forward its own bundle of proposals aimed at resolving the dispute and has said it was encouraged by common points between the two separate packages.

Ahmadinejad said Iran was ready to discuss its nuclear ambitions but that the "language of threat" was futile. "We are ready to discuss common subjects of the two packages. Talks should be held in a fair and just atmosphere," he said.

The nuclear dispute with Iran has raised fears of a military confrontation and helped send world oil prices to record highs. Ahmadinejad dismissed talk of military action.

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      1.   OUR UK "FRIENDS" WANT US TO 11:33  |  Robert 07/07/08
      2.   We are running out of time. 11:47  |  Jean Van Daem 07/07/08
      3.   what the "EXPERTS" fail to tell you is this... 12:17  |  VIPER 07/07/08
      4.   The stink of the Israeli Official Liar hangs over this story 12:19  |  Clickfool 07/07/08
      5.   JEAN VAN DAEM and his biased sites 12:20  |  VIPER 07/07/08
      6.   us inteligence estimates wrong in 2002 and 2007 12:20  |  paulo2005 07/07/08
      7.   Irans nuclea program will be in the headlines until completed 12:31  |  Natallie Durson 07/07/08
      8.   i hope israel does not drag the US to do its dirty work 12:33  |  taxpayer 07/07/08
      9.   Munich Play is Over 12:38  |  Robert 07/07/08
      10.   Israel !! make a MOVE or DIE ! ! ! 13:05  |  sinalco 07/07/08
      11.   Gotta love that first line.... 13:22  |  Johnboy 07/07/08
      12.   #1 Robert of Tel Aviv 13:38  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/07/08
      13.   Sorry Daily Telegraph and Israel, we can`t afford war with Iran 13:45  |  Michael 07/07/08
      14.   Irans Nuclear plans will be on the headlines when it is erased 14:17  |  ScotGuy 07/07/08
      15.   Iran`s bomb! 14:21  |  ari 07/07/08
      16.   #4 Clickfool 14:25  |  les 07/07/08
      17.   #11 14:34  |  vicus 07/07/08
      18.   Irans basic rights. 14:36  |  farrokh 07/07/08
      19.   u think iran lies and develope illegal nukes like israel does? 14:50  |  basti 07/07/08
      20.   Basic rights. 14:59  |  Neal 07/07/08
      21.   So what?! 15:09  |  Persian Hero 07/07/08
      22.   To all the IRAN admirers in the UK 15:50  |  Gil 07/07/08
      23.   Who Is The Real Threat? 15:58  |  Cool B 07/07/08
      24.   iran would be bloody fools... 16:02  |  curious george 07/07/08
      25.   #4--Israel bogeyman is everywhere 16:16  |  Paul Freedman 07/07/08
      26.   HE NEVER STOPPED BOMB WORK!ANYONE WHO BELIEVES OTHERWISE IS BLIND 16:16  |  glenna 07/07/08
      27.   To all the IRAN admirers in the USA 16:19  |  Gil 07/07/08
      28.   med-east balance of power 16:21  |  bashar 07/07/08
      29.   #13--and in the end Israel will not vaporize for your petrodollar 16:21  |  Paul Freedman 07/07/08
      30.   "They Would Not Dare Attack Iran?" Why? 16:22  |  Yosemite 07/07/08
      31.   To all the IRAN admirers in the USA 16:27  |  Gil 07/07/08
      32.   Old crap in a new can 16:36  |  Mark Lincoln 07/07/08
      33.   #21 Persian Hero: Wake Up & Smell The Kufteh! 16:42  |  Lavi 07/07/08
      34.   #15 Ari 17:10  |  Persian Hero 07/07/08
      35.   "West" officials say Iran is bad, reported everything as fact. 17:37  |  duh 07/07/08
      36.   to Persian Hero 17:43  |  Robin 07/07/08
      37.   Says Iran has/had weapons grade uranium. 17:48  |  duh 07/07/08
      38.   Clickfool trashing his British media? 18:07  |  Sam C 07/07/08
      39.   To Persian Hero 18:25  |  Sam C 07/07/08
      40.   A nother "sort of a Chinese menu" 18:26  |  Dav 07/07/08
      41.   That means Iran is not worreid 18:51  |  Persian Hero 07/07/08
      42.   ahmadinejad pushing buttons 19:36  |  Fred 07/07/08
      43.   #21 Because Israel would ONLY respond with a bomb, not initiate 19:39  |  DesMnsDave 07/07/08
      44.   Persian Hero shows us the danger 19:39  |  John 07/07/08
      45.   Persian Hero - Ahmadinejad doesn`t have anything but 19:40  |  stinglikeabee 07/07/08
      46.   farrokh #18 ftom Tampa 19:46  |  cleva treva 07/07/08
      47.   #to VIPER How would you like a bomb in Indonesia? 19:50  |  CM 07/07/08
      48.   to Persian hero, you should be worried 19:55  |  CM 07/07/08
      49.   CHRIS LINTHWAITE- AND AHARIA LAW COMING TO A PLACE NEAR YOU 20:02  |  miras 07/07/08
      50.   How to bring about your own destruction: 20:07  |  Mike 07/07/08
      51.   To all the IRAN admirers in the USA 20:15  |  Gil 07/07/08
      52.   Ahmadinejad makes more sense than Bush 20:17  |  Iranian-American 07/07/08
      53.   #25 Saddam Also Wasn`t Worried 20:20  |  Jack 07/07/08
      54.   Iran already HAS nukes...2 or 3 20:30  |  Iran Watcher 07/07/08
      55.   People: Iran will NOT be bombed and no one will attack 20:48  |  Dreamers 07/07/08
      56.   #34 Miras 20:50  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/07/08
      57.   After all military and support infrastructure of Iran 20:56  |  17 07/07/08
      58.   Amusing how Haaretz saw fit to ignore Iran`s proposals 21:15  |  Joe 07/07/08
      59.   Re: Gill all the Iran admirers 21:15  |  Raden 07/07/08
      60.   to # 44 to the renagate 21:33  |  CM 07/07/08
      61.   #8, taxpayer, I sincerely hope the same thing... 21:41  |  Silvienne 07/07/08
      62.   #21, Persian Hero is correct... 21:44  |  Silvienne 07/07/08
      63.   #21, Persian Hero is correct... 21:44  |  Silvienne 07/07/08
      64.   #46 Saddam 21:48  |  Raden 07/07/08
      65.   Jews in Iran unlike in France aren`t chased 22:33  |  Nat 07/07/08
      66.   #4. Clickfool. The way you describe the.... 22:48  |  Stephen. 07/07/08
      67.   to Sam C 22:53  |  Persian Hero 07/07/08
      68.   Iranian-American - not much 23:17  |  Mark Lincoln 07/07/08
      69.   duh - it`s a lie 23:23  |