Ahmadinejad slams ‘nuclear intimidation’
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday accused some "hegemonic powers" of intimidating his country, citing military threats from Israel.
"Arms race and intimidation by nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction by the hegemonic powers have become prevalent," Ahmadinejad said at the annual debate of the UN General Assembly.
"Continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists to resort to military action against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality," he added.
Ahmadinejad's remarks came after US President Barack Obama warned on the same podium on Tuesday that time is "not unlimited" for the diplomatic settlement of the Iran nuclear issue, and that Washington will do what it must to stop Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb.
Major Western powers and Israel have long suspected that Tehran is secretly developing nuclear weapons, but Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. Israel has openly threatened to use preemptive strikes to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities.
A senior Israeli official said Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will "set a clear red line" for Iran's disputed nuclear program when he addresses the UN. "The prime minister will clarify the way in which Iran won't have nuclear arms," the official said.
Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Asghar Soltanieh, has said that Iran would stop enriching uranium to a purity level of 20 percent if the West lifts sanctions against Tehran, according to a report by the semi-official Mehr news agency on Wednesday. The West has not reacted to Tehran's latest offer.
The US boycotted Ahmadinejad's UN speech. Israeli diplomats also stayed away, partly because their country is marking Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
In past speeches, Ahmadinejad has called for the eradication of Israel. This time he lashed out at the West for the global economic crisis.
"Creation of worthless paper assets by using influence and control over the world's economic centers constitutes the greatest abuse of history, and is considered a major contributor to the global economic crisis," he said.
But much of the speech was devoted to religion. Ahmadinejad hailed the imminent arrival of an "Ultimate Savior."
He said the savior is "a man who loves people and loves absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam Al-Mahdi, a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ and the righteous," referencing traditional Islamic messianic beliefs
Agencies