TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared
Wednesday that Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should
be "wiped off the map" - fiery words that Washington said
underscores its concern over Iran's nuclear program.
Hmmm...a bit imprudent, I'd say.
Iran announced earlier this year that it had fully
developed solid fuel technology for missiles, a major
breakthrough that increases their accuracy. The Shahab-3,
with a range of 810 miles to more than 1,200 miles, is
capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to Israel and U.S.
forces in the Middle East.
Why is Iran worrying about domestic missiles production
when it has advanced missiles from Russia and China?
Somehow none of this makes any sense.
rkm
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iran_Israel.html
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iran_Israel.html
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 · Last updated 12:34 p.m. PT
Iran leader calls for Israel's destruction
By NASSER KARIMI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared
Wednesday that Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should
be "wiped off the map" - fiery words that Washington said
underscores its concern over Iran's nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad's speech to thousands of students at a "World
without Zionism" conference set a hard-line foreign policy
course sharply at odds with that of his moderate
predecessor, echoing the sentiments of Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution.
The United States said Ahmadinejad's remarks show that
Washington's fears about Iran's nuclear program are
accurate.
"I think it reconfirms what we have been saying about the
regime in Iran," White House press secretary Scott
McClellan told reporters in Washington. "It underscores
the concerns we have about Iran's nuclear intentions."
Ahmadinejad also condemned Iran's neighbors which seek to
break new ground in their relations with Israel. "Anybody
who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic
nation's fury," state-run television quoted him as saying.
Relations between Israel and several Persian Gulf states
have been thawing amid Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza
Strip in September. Bahrain announced in September it was
ending a decades-old law banning trade ties with Israel.
In October, Qatar said it was donating $6 million to help
build a soccer stadium for a mixed Arab-Jewish team, the
first such financial assistance by an Arab state for any
town inside Israel.
Israel has been at the forefront of nations calling for an
end to Iran's nuclear program, which the United States and
many others in the West say is aimed at acquiring weapons
of mass destruction. Iran insists the program is for
generating electricity.
Referring to Palestinian suicide bomb attacks in Israel,
Ahmadinejad said: "there is no doubt that the new wave in
Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from
the face of the Islamic world."
Ahmadinejad's speech came hours before a Palestinian
suicide bomber blew himself up in the Israeli town of
Hadera, killing five people. Iran aids several militant
Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad,
with support and training through proxies among Lebanese
Hezbollah guerrillas.
"Ahmadinejad has clearly declared the doctrine of his
government," said Mohammad Sadeq Hosseini, an expert on
Middle Eastern affairs. "He is returning Iran to the
revolutionary goals it was pursuing in the 1980s."
Reacting to the Iranian president's speech, Israeli
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Ahmadinejad and
Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar "speak openly about destroying
the Jewish state ... and it appears the problem with these
extremists is that they followed through on their violent
declarations with violent actions."
Ebrahim Yazdi, a former Iranian foreign minister, said
Ahmadinejad's remarks harmed Iran.
"Such comments provoke the international community against
us. It's not to Iran's interests at all. It's harmful to
Iran to make such a statement," he said.
In Madrid, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos
summoned Iran's ambassador to protest Ahmadinejad's
comments. Moratinos said he rejected the remarks in the
strongest possible terms.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Baptiste Mattei also
condemned the remarks "with the utmost firmness."
Ahmadinejad became president in August after winning
elections two months earlier. He replaced Mohammad
Khatami, a reformist who advocated international dialogue
and tried to improve relations with the West.
Iran announced earlier this year that it had fully
developed solid fuel technology for missiles, a major
breakthrough that increases their accuracy. The Shahab-3,
with a range of 810 miles to more than 1,200 miles, is
capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to Israel and U.S.
forces in the Middle East.
--
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