New UN Sanctions Will Permanently Damage Iran-US Ties: Ahmadinejad
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned US that a new round of UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme could permanently damage the ties between the two countries, reported Al Jazeera.
Talking to reporters in New York, Ahmadinejad said that the sanctions against his country being negotiated by the US would not stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions, report said.
In an interview to Al Jazeera, the Iranian president admitted that internal politics within both Iran and the US were making it difficult to reach any kind of deal on the issue, said report.
“Sanctions cannot stop the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation is able to withstand the pressure of the United States and its allies,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on the sidelines of a UN nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) conference.
“While we do not welcome sanctions, we do not fear them either.
“The relationship between Iran and the United States will never improve again (if sanctions are approved).”
Al Jazeera quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that he and US President Barack Obama would have to refrain from ‘acting too hastily’ if the two sides are to reach agreement on the impasse.
“For example, the resolution presented to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) against Iran in the presence of Mr Obama was a very negative, hasty action that had very negative repercussions in Iran,” he was quoted as saying.
He made the remarks while referring to a November 2009 resolution adopted by the UN nuclear agency that criticised Iran for defying a UN Security Council ban on nuclear enrichment.
The resolution also rebuked Tehran for secretly building a uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom.
The US and two other permanent members of the UN Security Council have been pressing for a fourth round of UN penalties on Iran for its refusal to halt a key part of its nuclear programme that could be used to make weapons.
Iran says that it only wants the technology to produce nuclear power.
