DAR AL ISLAM - IRAN: IRAN WILL NOT STOP UNLESS THE "SWORD IS AT THEIR THROAT"

Iran Won't Stop Unless It Feels 'Sword on Their Throat,' Expert Says
By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com
Jerusalem Bureau Chief
February 21, 2007Jerusalem

(CNSNews.com) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged to continue the Iranian nuclear program for the sake of "progress" and the "honor of the country" as the United Nations Security Council deadline to stop the program was due to run out on Wednesday.

The Security Council imposed limited sanctions on Iran in December and gave Tehran 60 days to halt its uranium enrichment program or face increased sanctions. That deadline expires on Wednesday, and a report on Iran's compliance from International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei is expected in the next day or so.

Speaking in the northern Iranian town of Siahkal, Ahmadinejad said that Iran would continue to work towards obtaining nuclear technology "in the shortest possible time."

"Obtaining this technology is very important for our country's development and honor," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). "It is worth it to stop other activities for 10 years and focus only on the nuclear issue." Obtaining nuclear energy would advance the Iranian people by 50 years, he said.

The West believes that Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover-up to develop an atomic bomb. Iran denies the charges. It has been very difficult for the U.S. and Europe to rally Security Council members for dealing with Iran. So far, the agreed-upon sanctions have been so weak that they have not had much impact on Iran, analysts have said.

The standoff focuses on Iran's attempts to master the technology for enriching uranium, a process that can be used to make nuclear fuel -- and nuclear weapons.

On Tuesday, Ahmadinejad said that Iran would shut down its nuclear fuel cycle if others would, too."It's no problem," Ahmadinejad said. "But justice demands that those who want to hold talks with us shut down their nuclear fuel cycle program, too. Then we can hold dialogue under a fair atmosphere."

Dr. Ze'ev Maghen, director of Middle East studies at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, said that what happens next will depend on how the U.S. and Europe respond to Iran.

At the moment, there is speculation that the U.S. will launch a military strike against Iran despite denials that it plans to do so, Maghen said in a telephone interview. It will take something "extremely serious" at their door, "a sword at their throat" to force Iran to back down, said Maghen. Until then, Iran will continue to go forward in its nuclear development.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Iran Won't Stop Unless It Feels 'Sword on Their Throat,' Expert Says