Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday dismisses the
newly-adopted UN Security Council resolution that imposes sanctions
on Tehran as a piece of "trash paper," local Fars News Agency
reported.
"Today they (the Western countries) just aim to scare the
Iranian people with this piece of trash paper," Ahmadinejad was
quoted as saying.
"Iran is a nuclear country and it is in their interests to live
with Iran," he added.
Ahmadinejad made the remarks just one day after the UN Security
Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose sanctions against
Iran over its controversial nuclear activities.
According to the official IRNA news agency, the Iranian
president also said that the UN Security Council will soon regret
imposing sanctions against Iran.
"This will not harm the Iranian people, but the issuers (of the
resolution) will soon regret this superficial and useless act,"
Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has said Iran will
begin installing 3,000 centrifuges at a uranium enrichment plant as
of Sunday in response to the UN Security Council resolution, the
Kayhan newspaper reported.
"As of today, we will start the activities at the site of the
3,000 centrifuge machines in Natanz and we will drive it with full
speed," Larijani was quoted as saying.
"This is our immediate response to the UN Security Council
resolution," he added.
The resolution demanded that Iran "suspend all
enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research
and development," and "work on all heavy water-related
projects."
It also called on all countries to impose a ban on trade with
Iran in goods related to its nuclear programs and ballistic missile
delivery systems.
The United States has long accused Iran of trying to produce
nuclear weapons under a civilian cover, a charge denied by
Tehran.??
Iran has said that it needs to use nuclear power as a peaceful,
alternative energy source and has the right to do so under the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in late July,
urging Tehran to suspend by Aug. 31 all enrichment-related and
reprocessing activities, including research and development, or
face possible sanctions.
Due to Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, European
countries and the United States had sought a new resolution to
impose sanctions on Tehran.
(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2006)