• Published 01:32 04.04.10
  • Latest update 10:06 04.04.10

Ahmadinejad mocks U.S., vows to strengthen Iran nuclear program

Ahmadinejad: U.S. pressure on Iran has backfired, isolating Washington in the eyes of the world.

By Natasha Mozgovaya and Yossi Melman Tags: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Barack Obama Israel news Iran nuclear

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that imposing further sanctions on his country would not deter Tehran from its nuclear program - vowing that such a move would strengthen it.

In an address, Ahmadinejad attacked United States President Barack Obama for not having changed what he called America's policy of hostility toward his country.

"They say they have extended a hand to Iran, but the Iranian government and nation declined to welcome that," he said. "What kind of hand did you extend toward the Iranian nation? What has changed? Did you lift sanctions? Did you stop propaganda? Did you reduce the pressure?"

Ahmadinejad also said that U.S. steps to pressure Iran have backfired and instead have isolated Washington in the eyes of the world.

"Don't imagine that you can stop Iran's progress," Ahmadinejad said. "The more you reveal your animosity, the more it will increase our people's motivation to double efforts for construction and the progress of Iran." The head of Iran's atomic energy agency said Saturday that Tehran was planning to establish two more facilities for uranium enrichment.

Ahmadinejad made his comments in advance of an expected announcement from the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council that it was approaching an agreed-on formula for new sanctions against Tehran.

President Obama held a telephone conversation last Thursday night with China's leader, Hu Jintau, who confirmed he would participate in a Washington conference next week on nuclear issues. Hours after the telephone conversation Obama said in an interview that he intends to step up pressure on Iran. In a CBS interview, Obama said that "the idea is to keep turning up the pressure" on Iran and vowed to do so with the unified backing of the international community.

The U.S. is hoping to be in a position to convince Beijing to support a Security Council resolution of sanctions against Tehran.

After the unusually long telephone conversation between Obama and Hu, a Chinese spokesman said that the nuclear issue "is one of great significance" and reiterated Beijing's opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Over the weekend Western intelligence reportedly uncovered Iranian attempts to acquire essential equipment for its nuclear program - bypassing the international sanctions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a Chinese firm tried to purchase equipment used in centrifuges - which Iran needs for uranium enrichment - on behalf of an Iranian firm.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Photo by: (Reuters)
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  • 28. 0 0
    VERY STRANGE
    • TOBIA
    • 06.04.10
    • 00:28

    Vice President BIden claims he was insulted yet nothing is said about the insults sent to president by AHMADINEDJAD. Very strange

  • 27. 0 0
    #17 Bill. According to ...
    • Roo
    • 05.04.10
    • 20:45

    orthodox Judaism, neither does Judaism believe that Israel should have come into being. The Talmud explains that Jews have been forsworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which Jews live, and not by on their sins, to prolong the coming of the messiah; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a.

  • 26. 0 0
    #17 Bill. According to ...
    • Roo
    • 05.04.10
    • 18:57

    orthodox Judaism, neither does Judaism believe that Israel should have come into being. The Talmud explains that Jews have been forsworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which Jews live, and not by on their sins, to prolong the coming of the messiah; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a.

  • 25. 0 0
    RE: the thing is (#6)
    • Moshe
    • 05.04.10
    • 17:30

    Posted: :...Because Iran won`t negotiate on "allowing Israel to exist" or on their nuclear program..." Israel exists regardless if Iran will negotiate on allowing Israel to exist or not. However, Israel won't negotiate to allow the Palestinians to have a state of their own, or Israel's own nuclear program, so why should Iran be punished and not Israel? Posted: "...why should we not be the same way about removing the Al Aqsa mosque from the holy land which it desecrates?..." The same reason that we should not remove the walling wall out and any other hole site. The holy land is holy for many religions, not only the Jewish religion and no religion is above any other and no race is above any other. But the settlers, like yourself, should be removed from the holy land, because you do not belong here and you are no more than a cancer to Israel and the whole Middle East.

  • 24. 0 0
    #17 Bill. According to ...
    • Roo
    • 05.04.10
    • 16:35

    orthodox Jews who study Talmud and recognise it's place alongside the Torah as being of central importance to the Jewish faith, neither does Judaism believe that Israel should have come into being. The Talmud explains that Jews have been foresworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which we live, and not by our sins, to prolong the coming of the messiah; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a.

  • 23. 0 0
    # 15
    • Jake
    • 05.04.10
    • 14:33

    Quite the litany there. Yet the Land of the chosen is just as isolated. Paradoxical no?

  • 22. 0 0
    iran nukes
    • krys
    • 04.04.10
    • 20:26

    Any extra time we are giving to Iran by "negotiations" is not worth any think but we are giving them time to produce A-bombs. It is time to drop few bombs on Iran's nuke programs and that is all!!! You have all the rights to build in Jerusalem as you wish. It is Jewish Jerusalem, and Arabs can be send even here to US, because we have axtra housing here and nobody is paying but taxpayers for all foreclosed housing here. Shalom Israel!!!!

  • 21. 0 0
    Poor USA
    • Anthony
    • 04.04.10
    • 18:59

    First Israel, Now Iran. Poor USA subject of mockery

  • 20. 0 0
    #2 Natallie
    • Cool B
    • 04.04.10
    • 15:47

    So would I Natallie, so would I,

  • 19. 0 0
    Mr.Ahmadinejad and his vows, or woes.!
    • Stephen.
    • 04.04.10
    • 15:37

    I wonder whether the gentleman in question has a copy of Mein Kampf on his bedside table. For, he is fighting a battle, where he is bound to lose. Now, history has proven, that all those that row against a strong river current end up either broken on the rapids or drown in a whirlpool of their own making. Mr.Ahmadinejad, may well decide his own future in a more pragmatic manner. The first step is to begin a short course in diplomacy, followed by a more thorough course in "Good Governance"! By believing that his emissaries have indeed convinced the Chinese that Tehran s Regime is some harmless and forgiving. paternalistic, and secular administration, he needs spiritual and psychiatric guidance. Vowing to beat an enemy, in this case the civilized world of 2010, shows only certain shortfalls somewhat akin to those almost extinct tribal chiefs deep in the rain forests of Equatorial Africa. Something is amiss and evil, for the torturing and killing continues, in Tehran. FREEDOM. G·day.

  • 18. 0 0
    "Netanyahu mocks US, vows to strengthen illegal building"
    • steve
    • 04.04.10
    • 15:04

    two peas in a pod.

  • 17. 0 0
    THE EXISTANCE OF ISRAEL MAKES KORAN A LIE MUHAMMED FALSE PROPHET
    • Bill
    • 04.04.10
    • 11:49

    According to the koran , hadith and muhammed Israel is not supposed to exist . Israel exists as a home for the Jewish people with it's eternal undivided capital Jerusalem . This is the reason for islam's quest for the annihilation of Israel and the Jewish people .

  • 16. 0 0
    with obama as president who can blame iran for the mockery
    • shlomzion
    • 04.04.10
    • 11:35

    obama is the biggest disaster to have hit the united states this century.he has the understanding of a third grade school student and does not give us ideas so much as a resort to reading long tracts with the use of a teleprompter. when the teleprompter broke down biden hooted with laughter mocking the president with the words "what will obama do" thus the usa ruled by a third rate man and a plagariser.

  • 15. 0 0
    #2 Natalie Durson "I would rather have an honest enemy"
    • H
    • 04.04.10
    • 10:02

    So what's honest about repressing Women's rights? What's honest about murdering your opposition? What's honest about hanging young children from obsolete Cranes? What's honest about arming Proxy armies to the teeth? What's honest about denying the fact that you seek WMD's? What's honest about holding a WOrldwide Holocaust Cartoon Competition while demanding the death for anyone producing an image of Mohammed? What's honest about Holocaust Denial by the very highest leaders of this repressive Iranian Regime? and that's just Iran. Don't get me started on the USA and the millions of lives it has taken. Of course you may not be the Natalie Durson you claim to be...that's also dishonest.

  • 14. 0 0
    the sanctions that china agreed to are nothing
    • zip
    • 04.04.10
    • 09:15

    iran will not feel a thing...and with bibi's ignoring the peace deal with palestine the gulf arabs will be more than glad to help the persians get whatever they want for cheap

  • 13. 0 0
    The title is very good
    • dani.a
    • 04.04.10
    • 09:06

    I suppose that reading that Ahmadinejad is mocking US, Mr.Obama and generals Petraeus and Mullen feeling insulted by Iranian President will decide that this deserve a war against Iran.

  • 12. 0 0
    determined and defiant iran
    • khattab
    • 04.04.10
    • 08:48

    iran seems dtermined to get nuclear tech be it civilian or military . 97% of iranians are united in this issue and they consider it essential for the existance of the country .no sanctions will hurt iran , the country is wide ,rich ,populous ,and energy resources are abundant . military options against iran also will surely fail .agressors will pay heavily if they srike iran , millions of muslims and arabs will side with iran in any conflict . usa and israel must prepare themselves to accept nuclear iran .

  • 11. 0 0
    a good source says...
    • superjew
    • 04.04.10
    • 07:30

    the s-300 has been shipped. The deadline for israel is now aug. 1. up to 9 iranian nuke scientists have defected or been taken, and they are said to be talking. The one the US has who was captured or defected in SA last year is just the tip of the iceberg... 12 weeks...time is ticking...

  • 10. 0 0
    #3, Ahmet Turko-in the long run, Iran will be another Chechnya
    • Voice of Reason
    • 04.04.10
    • 07:13

    Sooner or later, Iran's neo-imperialistic ambitions in Central Asia will conflict with Russia's attempts to regain hegemony over the former Soviet states along Iran's border. At that time, the iranian people will be wishing and praying that they could go back to the good old days when the US and Israel were their enemies.

  • 9. 0 0
    bye bye ahmadinjad
    • queen of sheba
    • 04.04.10
    • 07:02

    put a bomb up ahmadinjad's tush and fly him to the moon..............

  • 8. 0 0
    For Karim in Alabama # 1
    • Fortuna Benmayor
    • 04.04.10
    • 06:37

    "if Iran achieved nuclear offensive capabilities then all the arab states will seek the same and the middle east will be destroyed soon" And then you ask: "Why should Israel care?"

  • 7. 0 0
    bomb iran
    • american
    • 04.04.10
    • 05:59

    US/UK must impose no fly zones on Iranian Kurdistan/Baluchistan. If Iran doesn't respect this demand, US/UK must destroy their military. Then destroy their oil refineries, offer US citizenship/asylum to any Iranian who offers valuable intelligence on Iranian nukes sites/military installations.

  • 6. 0 0
    the thing is
    • Joshua
    • 04.04.10
    • 05:51

    Jesus doesn't need nuclear weapons, and even if he did, he has them, and the infidels still do not. Because Iran won't negotiate on "allowing Israel to exist" or on their nuclear program, why should we not be the same way about removing the Al Aqsa mosque from the holy land which it desecrates? Ah, let's put the Al-Aqsa inside of some missiles and launch them at Iran. Some Ahmadinejad style diplomacy right there.

  • 5. 0 0
    Who is isolated?
    • MichaelF
    • 04.04.10
    • 05:48

    "Ahmadinejad also said that U.S. steps to pressure Iran have backfired and instead have isolated Washington in the eyes of the world." And exactly who is standing with Iran, outside of Iraq and Syria? Even China is waivering on the issue of sanctions.

  • 4. 0 0
    that means
    • Joshua
    • 04.04.10
    • 05:42

    we'll just have to strap the AlAqsa mosque to a missile and launch it at Iran sooner than Iran gets their bomb.

  • 3. 0 0
    Nothing can stop Iran in Long Run
    • Ahmet Turko
    • 04.04.10
    • 05:04

    The world should start getting used to a new and more powerful Iran because no one cn stop its progress in the long run. You would need an Iraq or Afghanistan style invasion to stop Iran from becoming a regional power and that obviously is unlikely. Sanctions or military options will only delay the inevitable so Israel and the west just have to eventually come to terms with a nuclear Iran. They have already mastered the technology anyway.

  • 2. 0 0
    It's a matter of personal preferrence...
    • Natallie Durson
    • 04.04.10
    • 04:41

    .... but I would rather have an honest enemy than a bunch of lying, cheating, double dealing "friends".

  • 1. 0 0
    why should israel care ?
    • Karim
    • 04.04.10
    • 03:50

    so why should Israel care about the Iranian Nuclear program, Iran will not dare to strike a state with 200+ nukes first, on the other hand Arabs should be much more terrified than Israelis if Iran achieved nuclear offensive capabilities then all the arab states will seek the same and the middle east will be destroyed soon