President-Elect: Iran Won't Seek Nuke Arms

If this can be believed, Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, may actually have a valid point. If the Iranians are serious about not wanting to build nuclear missiles then he absolutely has the right to criticize the west's efforts to thwart Iranian development of nuclear power. However, that is a rather large "If" and should the Iranians be lying to the world, as this administration believes it is, then coming up craps will mean millions dead in nuclear fire. The whole point of the "Bush doctrine" is to head off that kind of threat. However, the Bush administration has already used up the good will they had on "potential attacks" when they decided that the world could no longer wait for Saddam Hussein to be deposed. There's nothing we can do at this juncture except wait and see. All I can do is report when anything, good, bad or indifferent comes out of that country. Americans should be vigilantly watching what happens in Iran, China and Russia before they find themselves in a violent reminder that isolationism is dead.

Here's the story:

Iran's president-elect said Thursday his country will not pursue atomic weapons but it will not submit to international pressure to abandon its nuclear program, state-run television reported.

The comments by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were similar to those over the past year by Iranian leaders amid negotiations with the Europeans, who aim to restrict Iran's nuclear activities. The United States accuses Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, while Iran says its program aims only to produce energy.

Some Europeans have worried that Ahmadinejad - who won election last month with the backing of hard-line elements of Iran's Islamic regime - could take a tougher stance in negotiations than the reform administration he is replacing.

Before his campaign, Ahmadinejad had criticized concessions by Iran, including the freezing of parts of the nuclear program, though since his election he has said he will continue talks with the Europeans.

"We hate atomic weapons. We respect international treaties and agreements, but we will not accept illogical pressures and the demands of powers," Ahmadinejad told a public meeting in Mashhad, 600 miles northeast of the capital, Tehran, according to the television report.

"We witness unfairness in the international arena. Some consider themselves as the lord of the world while they enjoy the biggest amount of weapons of mass destruction," Ahmadinejad said.

Iran has frozen uranium enrichment and other key parts of its nuclear program to avoid being referred to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. But it has repeatedly insisted the suspension is not permanent and has said it will eventually resume.