Not So Scared Part 1

Iran warns of retaliation if sanctions imposed

TEHRAN - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to impose retaliatory sanctions on world powers if the UN Security Council carries out threats to penalise Iran over its nuclear programme.

The warning came amid an intensifying global uproar Monday over North Korea's announcement of its first test of a nuclear weapon, a move which prompted Iran to declare it wanted a world free of atomic arms.

Ahmadinejad did not specify what kind of tit-for-tat measures might be imposed and Iran — OPEC's second largest producer — has always insisted it will not use oil as a weapon in the standoff.

"We will also impose sanctions on them," Ahmadinejad told reporters late Sunday in response to a question about a decision by the five Security Council permanent members plus Germany to discuss the prospect of sanctions.

"In the past 27 years they have always threatened us with sanctions and during this time they did everything they could," he said according to the student ISNA and semi-official ILNA news agencies.

"They do their thing and in return we will do ours."

Oil prices again spiked above 60 dollars a barrel in London trade as market players expressed fears the nuclear weapon test by North Korea might stiffen Iran's resolve in its standoff with the West.

Tehran, which is refusing to heed Western demands it suspend uranium enrichment, insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful energy needs, vehemently rejecting US allegations that it is seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman called for negotiations after the North Korean nuclear test but stopped short of issuing an explicit condemnation of Pyongyang's actions.

"Iran's position is clear and Iran on principle believes in a world free of nuclear weapons," Mohammad Ali Hosseini was quoted as saying by a state television anchor.

"Iran is hopeful that negotiations on North Korea's nuclear activities can go ahead in the interest of both North Korea and the international community," he added.

In a meeting late on Friday, representatives from Britain, China, Germany France, Russia and the United States agreed to discuss sanctions against Iran after it refused to heed a new deadline to halt uranium enrichment.

Considerable momentum towards drafting a sanctions resolution as early as this week appeared to have been generated by the meeting between top diplomats in London after weeks of talks with Iran failed to win a breakthrough.

But it remains to be seen whether this can be maintained amid the growing uproar over the announcement by North Korea early Monday it had conducted its first test of a nuclear weapon.

The UN Security Council was expected to hold an emergency meeting later Monday to weigh how to respond to North Korea's test, which came in brazen defiance of a previous UN resolution.

Such moves could take up precious time that was to be devoted to the Iranian nuclear issue and further stave off the threat of UN action.

It also remains unclear whether Russia and China will support sanctions measures proposed by the United States and its chief ally Britain. Moscow and Beijing have always insisted on a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

The question of Iran's right to enrich uranium lies at the heart of the crisis. The process can be used to make nuclear fuel and, in highly extended form, the fissile core of an atomic bomb.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who attended the London meeting, has said the United States wants a graduated series of sanctions, to be implemented through multiple UN resolutions that would ramp up pressure on Iran.

The first set of measures is expected to focus on preventing the supply of material and funding for Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile programmes.

Other steps could include asset freezes and travel bans on officials linked to possible Iranian weapons programmes.

Original article posted here.