Tehran: Sanctions Will Not Stop Nuclear Program

Iran’s spiritual leader says that severe sanctions will not halt Iran’s nuclear program while Israel’s Minister of Defense clarifies that only Israel is responsible for its safety.

Iran is not giving up on its nuclear program: Tehran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, says that the Western sanctions imposed on Iran will not stop the country's nuclear program. "The West is repeatedly calling for stronger pressure in order to make the Iranian authorities reconsider their steps," Khamenei said during a televised speech.


He added, "when looking at the facts, we understand that not only should we not reconsider our ways - but we see that we must continue with greater determination." The harshest sanctions imposed by the EU on Iran's oil industry entered into effect at the start of July.

Israel's Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, spoke yesterday during the graduation ceremony at the Israeli College for Security and Investigations, and said that "I am well aware and familiar with the difficulties and the complexities involved in foiling Iran's path towards nuclear weapons. However, it is clear to me beyond all doubt that dealing with this challenge once it is reached - if it is reached - will be far more complex, dangerous and costly in terms of lives and resources."


Barak added that the sanctions and the diplomatic discussions with the Islamic republic will not succeed in stopping Iran's nuclear program. "The sanctions are now stronger than ever, and diplomacy is working, but it isn't enough to stop Iran's nuclear plans," Barak said, adding that "the US understands that Israel, and Israel alone, will be responsible for its fate."

Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to the UN blamed Israel of responsibility for the terror attack in Bulgaria, in which five Israeli civilians were killed. Speaking during a debate at the UN, Muhammad Khazaee said that "it is amazing that Israel blamed Iran mere minutes after the attack. Such acts of terror could only be done by those whose short history is full of terror attacks and assassinations. I can offer examples that they have murdered their own people and innocent Jews in the past two decades in order to blame others. Iran is a victim of such operations, such as the assassination of the nuclear scientists."


Haim Waxman, Israel's deputy ambassador to the UN, responded that "the comments are shocking, but hardly surprising when coming from the same regime that said  the 9/11 terror attacks are a conspiracy theory and which denies the Holocaust. Iran's fingerprints were all over the scene of the horrendous attack in Bulgaria last week, and in dozens of other terror attacks in the past few months."