#NEWS Iran insists on maintaining nuclear program, tests missile at nuclear site

2011-01-19 23:09:14

TEHRAN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran said Wednesday that it will not give up its nuclear program and test-fired a missile at its nuclear site as a sign of defense move.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran will not withdraw an iota from its nuclear objectives despite the West's pressure, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Talking to a crowd in central city Yazd, only two days ahead of the Istanbul nuclear meeting, he said "the attempts of the countries which used all their power to stop Iran from being nuclear... was in vain and Iran with the help of God became nuclear."

"Now, most of those countries which failed in their attempts ( to stop Iran) want to cooperate with Iran in nuclear area," he was quoted as saying.

Earlier, the Iranian president had also said that Iran was a nuclear country, implying that Iran had achieved nuclear know-how for energy purposes.

Ahmadinejad told the official IRNA news agency on Tuesday that tens of resolutions will not stop Iran's nuclear drive.

"We drive our peaceful nuclear program ahead day by day," and if the Western countries issue tens of other resolutions against Iran, the resolutions will not have any impact on our country's will, the state IRIB TV website reported.

On Wednesday, Iran test-fired a surface-to-air missile near its Khondab nuclear sites which was said to be "successful", IRNA reported.

Military commander Colonel Far Mahini said that to enhance the defense capabilities and to defend the sensitive places of the country, the mid-range upgraded Hag missile was successfully test- fired, the report said.

The missile which was warm-tested near the Khondab nuclear sites, near Central Arak city, hit the target successfully, Far Mahini was quoted as saying, adding that Iran will conduct such tests periodically nationwide to stay in full alert.

The surface-to-air missile system of Hag was upgraded by the experts of Khatamolanbia Air Defense Base and was tested to evaluate the efficiency of the system and to enhance the technical and operational skills and knowledge of the staff.

On the same day, the local satellite Press TV reported that Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Asghar Soltanieh, left Tehran for Moscow to elaborate on " technical and legal" aspects of the country's nuclear program.

The visit to Russia is taking place with regard to the importance of the awareness of the world public opinion, particularly intellectuals, the elite, academics and mass media about various technical and legal aspects of Iran's nuclear activities, Soltanieh was quoted as saying ahead of his departure to Moscow on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said that if major world powers adopt a logical and positive approach toward talks with Iran, good results could be expected to be achieved.

In an interview with Turkey's state-television TRT, Jalili said "we will enter the talks with a positive view, and we believe that the undeniable potentials of the Islamic Republic of Iran create a good opportunity for cooperation."

Iran and five permanent members of UN Security Council plus Germany (G5+1) will hold talks on Iran's nuclear issue in Istanbul on Jan. 21-22.

The West has long accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under civilian disguise, although Tehran has always denied such charges.

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