Tehran: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei slammed US President Barack Obama on Sunday for
threatening a "nuclear attack" on Iran as Tehran said it will
mass produce speedier centrifuges for its controversial
uranium enrichment programme.
Foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran
will officially complain to the United Nations regarding
Obama's "threats" toward the Islamic republic after 225
lawmakers asked Tehran to take up the issue.
Khamenei, the commander-in-chief of Iran's armed forces
and final decision maker on key policy issues, warned a
meeting of the military's top brass today to be more "alert"
about such threats.
"He (Obama) has implicitly threatened Iranians with
nuclear weapons," state television quoted Khamenei as telling
them.
"These comments are very strange and the world should not
ignore them because in the 21st century... the head of a state
is threatening a nuclear attack," said the spiritual guide of
Iran.
"The US president's statements are disgraceful. Such
comments harm US and they mean that the US government is
wicked and unreliable."
In a policy shift, Washington said on Tuesday it would
only use atomic weapons in "extreme circumstances" and would
not attack non-nuclear states -- but singled out "outliers"
Iran and North Korea as exceptions.
After a year of attempting diplomatic initiatives, Obama
has in recent weeks ratcheted up pressure for fresh UN
sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, which
Washington suspects is masking a weapons drive.
Khamenei dismissed Washington's policy as passing
"tornados."
"After 30 years, the Iranian nation has shown that it is
more resilient and strong and has the ability to stand against
any kind of threat," the cleric said.
"Our armed forces must also be alert towards such threats
and take their training seriously."
Hardline parliament speaker Ali Larijani also blasted the
US policy as "warmongering."
Mehmanparast said Iran would "officially complain" to the
United Nations regarding the "threat" from Obama, according to
Fars news agency.
The official IRNA news agency said 225 lawmakers had
urged the foreign ministry to complain to the UN for what they
said was the "American government's threat to international
peace."
PTI
First Published: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 19:51