Supreme Leader Urges Iranians To Resist Threats
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (file photo) (AFP)
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his comments to commanders and members of the Basij, Iran's Islamic militia force. He urged them to preserve the country's honor by not retreating in the face of what he called international threats.
The West believes Iran's nuclear program conceals an effort to develop weapons and has urged it to halt uranium-enrichment activities. Iran denies the charges.
Talks at the UN Security Council have bogged down amid resistance by China and Russia to consider sanctions against Iran, their ally and trading partner.
(AFP)
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On 4 February, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency approved in a 27-3 vote a resolution to report the matter of Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council. The key section of the resolution is Section 1, which states that the Board of Governors:
Underlines that outstanding questions can best be resolved and confidence built in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's program by Iran responding positively to the calls for confidence-building measures which the Board has made on Iran, and in this context deems it necessary for Iran to:
- reestablish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and processing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the Agency;
- reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water;
- ratify promptly and implement in full Additional Protocol;
- pending ratification, continue to act in accordance with the provisions of the Additional Protocol with Iran signed on 18 December 2003;
- implement the transparency measures, as requested by the Director General, which extend beyond the former requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, and include such access to individuals, documentation relating to procurement, dual use equipment, certain military-owned workshops and research and development as the Agency may request in support of its ongoing investigations.
COMPLETE TEXT: To read the final resolution, with late-hour changes highlighted, click here.
THE COMPLETE PICTURE: RFE/RL's complete coverage of controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program.
An annotated timeline of Iran's nuclear program.