Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Articles - Zimbio

Ahmadinejad is not a Threat

Wed, 14 Aug 2008 15:23:33 GMT

posted by timm84

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not an international threat, he is a moron.

Arriving in Turkey, Ahmadinejad renewed his threats against Israel:

“Western countries should not support them [Israel] so much. The life of this regime has come to an end.”

Clearly Ahmadinejad has not been following the news lately regarding the tension between Iran and Israel. These same western countries that supposedly support Israel so much are the only thing stopping an Israeli attack on Iran. All recent accounts have reported that the United States has changed course and will not support any military action against Iran.

The reasons why should be obvious, but here goes:

1. The US cannot open up another front, with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq already serving extended tours of duty.

2. An attack on Iran would send the already high cost of gas skyrocketing.

3. As ultra-liberal, sissy-communist terrorist appeaser Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, such an attack would create generations of jihadists, and our grandchildren would be fighting the war on terror on our own soil one day.

Before a herd of warmongering neocons jump down my throat, let me clarify. I do take Ahmadinejad’s threats seriously, I do think he actually wants to wipe Israel off the map, and not in any metaphorical way, and if he actually had any real power, his belicosity would be grounds for the use of force.

HOWEVER

People who are so eagerly calling for Iran’s head on a plate seem to know very little about the way the country actually works.

Unlike most democracies, the President of Iran is not the ultimate power, he does not have the final say on policy. That responsibility lies with the Ayatollah, who has publicly overuled his vain, tantrum-throwing President several times.

Now if Ayatollah Khamenei were to come out at a press conference and call for Israel to be wiped off the map, it would be a different story, since he could actually make it happen. BUT because the Ayatollah doesn’t have to worry about getting re-elected, he doesn’t need to engage in saber rattling in order to drum up votes from Iran’s conservative base. (They’re not so different from us, after all.)

Claiming that Ahmadinejad represents the Iranian people’s interests is just as foolish as claiming that the American people whole-heartedly agree with George Bush’s policies.

Iran is a young country, whose citizens want to be a part of the 21st century. They have no interest in totalitarian policies that restrict their rights to get a haircut, have internet access, or choose a partner of the same sex. Although they show anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment, they are smart enough to know that no good would come from a conflict with the West. The Iranian people are tired of this clown speaking for them and they will prove it when he comes up for re-election.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a lame duck President on his way out, who unfortunately unlike Bush, never represented a real threat to anyone.

Ahmadinejad To Bush–I’m Not Afraid!

Fri, 16 Aug 2008 12:37:41 GMT

posted by fstopsky

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while on a visit to Turkey, said the recent invasion by Georgia and the resulting counter-attack by Russia had proved the United States was nothing more than a paper tiger that speaks threatening words but can’t back them up. “It is not possible for the United States, which even failed to protect its ally Georgia, to attack Iran. The US could not even protect its own ally. US clout in world politics is decreasing. Moreover, it is in a major economic depression. We will see that the US empire will crack and eventually collapse. There is nothing that the US can do against Iran.”

The Turkish newspaper, Zaman, also said the Iranian president indicated at meetings held with officials that he was not backing down on his nation’s right to continue nuclear development. When asked about the Geneva nuclear talks, he responded: “There is no compromise that we will make. Their hands are empty. They can’t even protect Georgia.” However, he told Turkish President Gul his nation was willing to negotiate with the West on nuclear issues.

As always, the Iranian leader blamed Israel for all Middle Eastern problems. “The time is up for the Zionist regime. Many world nations do not want it anymore.” It is unfortunate Ahmadinejad is unable to approach any discussion of the Middle East without ranting and raving and blaming Israel without any recognition groups like Hamas have played a role in hindering peace efforts.

Perhaps, one day the American people will finally understand how George Bush has undermined conditions for peace in the Middle East and now he has created new problems in Europe by building missile bases on the border of Russia.

India disses Iran again or hardball bargaining on Gas Pipeline

Tue, 30 Jul 2008 04:00:24 GMT

posted by moinansari

The Iran-Pakistan-India IPI Pipeline

| New York | RUPEE NEWS | July 29th, 2008 | Moin Ansari | Like a jilted lover chasing the seductive vixen, Iran continues to try to woo India, both on the IP pipeline as well as in Chahbahar Port being built to compete with Gwader. Both project should involve Pakistan, however Iran is working with India on Chahbahar and not listening to Pakistan on limiting the pipeline to Iran and Pakistan. India vs. Pakistan–Gwador vs. Chabahar.

Chahbahar Iran-competition with Gwadar

To get a better deal India has once more raised the same old arcane questions that it was asking in the 80s. Iran has once more responded to the questions

Iranian government replies to Indian ‘non-paper’ on gas pipeline Siddharth Varadarajan

New Delhi: In an attempt to address the pointed concerns India raised about the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline during the visit here of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last April, the Iranian government has handed over some fresh proposals and called for talks to quickly finalise the deal.

The Iranian proposals are contained in a ‘non-paper’ that was delivered to the Indian embassy in Tehran last week, The Hindu has learned. Drafted as a response to the ‘non-paper’ handed over by the Prime Minister’s Office to Mr. Ahmadinejad’s delegation at the end of his five-hour visit to Delhi on April 29, the Iranian note identified for the first time the specific offshore fields which will be used to feed the $7.4 billion pipeline with natural gas for Pakistan and India.

Time-frame

During the visit, the Iranian President had proposed an accelerated time-frame of 45 days for resolving the outstanding issues but no technical level meeting of the two sides has taken place since then. The Iranian non-paper is Tehran’s way of reinvigorating the process, since New Delhi does not appear to be in a hurry to schedule a meeting or resolve its concerns through technical or political negotiations.

In its non-paper, the PMO had raised a number of issues. Among these were the question of security of transit through Pakistan and India’s desire to take delivery of its share of the gas not on the Iran-Pakistan border as has been envisaged till now but at the Pakistan-India border. India also expressed concern about Iran’s failure to nominate the gas fields concerned for the pipeline. Finally, the Indian side sought an Iranian response to the possibility of the three partner countries taking commercial stakes in downstream projects in each other’s territories as a means of providing an additional layer of protection against wilful disruption of gas supply.

Trilateral arrangement

The Iranian note identifies phases 19, 20 and 21 of the massive South Pars offshore gas field as the source of feedstock for the pipeline and says other phases can also be deployed to maintain adequate pressure at all times.

It also says that Tehran is prepared to look at a “trilateral arrangement” for the delivery of gas at the Pakistan-India border. On the question of cross-investments too, the Iranian non-paper says suitable arrangements can be examined.

While Indian officials feel Iran is “not serious” about the pipeline and is only looking to score propaganda points over the U.S. by demonstrating it is not isolated, the Iranian side harbours doubts about India’s sincerity, given Washington’s hostility to the gas deal.

the crazy words of a mad man to Israel and the world

Tue, 30 Jul 2008 03:00:34 GMT

posted by tripsing

As the free world debates how best to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel has been criticized for suggesting it would take military action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. This has led some to portray Israel as the aggressor.

The quotes below from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paint a very different picture. Since assuming office in 2005, the fanatical Ahmadinejad has repeatedly threatened and predicted the demise of Israel. Read these quotes from the Iranian president, and then don’t forget to forward this page to your friends, so that the truth of the Iranian threat to Israel and the free world -- can be known by all.

June 2008

"Today Iran is an advanced country. We are ready for dialogue with anyone, except with the Zionist regime, in relations based on mutual respect and fairness." (Agence France-Presse)

June 2008

"You should know that the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime, which has 60 years of plundering, aggression and crimes in its file, has reached the end of its work and will soon disappear off the geographical scene." (Reuters)

May 2008

"The Zionist regime is dying. The criminals imagine that by holding celebrations ... they can save the Zionist regime from death. They should know that regional nations hate this fake and criminal regime and if the smallest and briefest chance is given to regional nations they will destroy (it)." (Reuters)

"This terrorist and criminal state (Israel) is backed by foreign powers, but this regime would soon be swept away by the Palestinians." (Ha’aretz)

"Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken."

"Today the reason for the Zionist regime's existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation.… (Israel) has reached the end like a dead rat after being slapped by the Lebanese." (Islamic Republic News Agency)

March 2008

"Resistance is the only way to defeat the Zionists and their masters." (Islamic Republic News Agency)

February 2008

"The world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast. … "[Israel] won support [from the other nations] which created it as a scarecrow, so as to keep the people of this area under control." (Jerusalem Post)

January 30, 2008

"I warn you to abandon the filthy Zionist entity, which has reached the end of the line. It has lost its reason to be and will sooner or later fall. The ones who still support the criminal Zionists should know that the occupiers' days are numbered. … Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end." (Agence France-Presse)

November 2007

"It is impossible that the Zionist regime will survive. Collapse is in the nature of this regime because it has been created on aggression, lying, oppression and crime." (Islamic Republic News Agency)

October 2007

"After the Second World War, they created a scenario called 'pogrom against Jews.' All over Europe and the countries under Western rule, an anti-Jewish movement has been concocted. The climate of propaganda and psychological warfare on the one hand and on the other hand using the issue of ovens burning human beings, they have concocted a myth of deprivation and innocence for the Jews of Europe. They use this pretext of the innocence of Jews and the suffering of some Jews during the Second World War. Riding on the crest of a wave of anti-Jewish sentiments, they have laid the foundations for the Zionist regime."

"...you cannot tolerate the presence of Zionists in Europe but want to inflict them on the people of our region? You have so much land in your possession. This vast land of Canada and Alaska can be used to resettle the Jews."

September 2007

"The era of darkness will end. Prisoners will return home. The occupied lands will be freed. Palestine and Iraq will be liberated from the domination of the occupiers. And the people of America and Europe will be free of the pressures exerted by the Zionists." (Speech to United Nations General Assembly)

August 2007

"The Zionist regime is the flag bearer of violation and occupation and this regime is the flag of Satan. …It is not unlikely that this regime be on the path to dissolution and deterioration when the philosophy behind its creation and survival is invalid." (Speech to international religious conference in Tehran)

June 2007

"With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine . . . By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future." (FARS news agency)

March 2007

"It is quite clear that a bunch of Zionist racists are the problem the modern world is facing today. They have access to global power and media centers and seek to use this access to keep the world in a state of hardship, poverty and grudge and strengthen their rule. The great nation of Iran is opposed to this inhuman trend. Of course, the Iranian nation will stick to its rightful stance. The Zionists and their supporters do not know that they are using failed approaches to take on human values, human civilization, nations and the great nation of Iran. Admitting the right of the dear Iranian nation and submitting to justice and the rule of law are the best way to salvation and the best way out of the deadlocks they have created for themselves." (Iranian New Year’s message)

February 2007

"The Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan . . . Many Western governments that claim to be pioneers of democracy and standard bearers of human rights close their eyes over crimes committed by the Zionists and by remaining silent support the Zionists due to their hedonistic and materialistic tendencies." (Ha’aretz)

December 2006

"Thanks to people's wishes and God's will the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want…Just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime soon be wiped out" (Comments at Iran's Holocaust Conference)

October 2006

"The Zionist regime is counterfeit and illegitimate and cannot survive" (Speech in Islamshahr, Iran)

August 2006

"They (Israel) kill women and children, young and old. And, behind closed doors, they make plans for the advancement of their evil goals." (as quoted by Khorasan Provincial TV)

"A new Middle East will prevail without the existence of Israel." (Malaysian news agency Bernama website)

"Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented." (Iranian TV)

"Are they human beings?... They (Zionists) are a group of blood-thirsty savages putting all other criminals to shame." (as quoted by Iranian TV)

July 2006

"The occupying regime of Palestine has actually pushed the button of its own destruction by launching a new round of invasion and barbaric onslaught on Lebanon" (Islamic Republic News Agency)

"The Zionists think that they are victims of Hitler, but they act like Hitler and behave worse than Genghis Khan." (Islamic Republic News Agency)

"The Zionists and their protectors are the most detested people in all of humanity, and the hatred is increasing every day."

"[Israel] has blackened the pages of history". (As quoted by Iranian state television)

June 2006

"I think we have sufficiently talked about this matter and these Holocaust events need to be further investigated by independent and impartial parties."

"An event that has influenced so many diplomatic and political equations of the world needs to investigated and researched by impartial and independent groups."

"If it is true, then the response to this question should not be solved in Palestine. The Palestinian question should be settled as soon as possible. If it is false, why should such measures be taken against the people of Palestine?" (a news conference following a meeting with China's president)

May 2006

"I believe the German people are prisoners of the Holocaust. More than 60 million were killed in World War II . . . The question is: Why is it that only the Jews are at the center of attention?"

"We say that if the Holocaust happened, then the Europeans must accept the consequences and the price should not be paid by Palestine. If it did not happen, then the Jews must return to where they came from." (Der Spiegel)

April 2006

"We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live. Open the doors (of Europe) and let the Jews go back to their own countries."

"The Zionist regime is an injustice and by its very nature a permanent threat. Whether you like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation. The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm."

"If there is serious doubt over the Holocaust, there is no doubt over the catastrophe and holocaust being faced by the Palestinians. Holocaust has been continuing in Palestine over the past 60 years."
(Speech at a conference in Tehran)

January 2006

"[N]o Muslim nation would put up with this entity [i.e. Israel] in Islamic lands, not for one moment … If it's true that the [Europeans] committed a big crime in World War II, then they must take responsibility for it themselves, and not ask the Palestinian people to pay the price … Those countries that support this regime [Israel] were terrified at the suggestion that [Israel] should be relocated to their neighborhood. So why should the Palestinians and the countries in our region accept this entity?"
(Speech in Qom, Iran)

" Zionism is a Western ideology and a colonialist idea ... and right now it massacres Muslims with direct guidance and help from the United States and a part of Europe ... Zionism is basically a new [form of] fascism."

December 2005

"Today, they [Europeans] have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets … This is our proposal: give a part of your own land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to them [Jews] so that the Jews can establish their country."
(From a speech in Zahedan, Iran)

Iran defiant on Nuke rights: Dismisses threats & US demands

Mon, 8 Jul 2008 03:40:48 GMT

posted by moinansari

In spite of Israeli military exercises and US threats Iran has refused to budge on its right to develop nuclear technology. The Day after: Attack on Iran & Retaliation. The Iranians have carefully weighed the consequences of their actions and seem to be prepared for battle.

: Iran\

: Iranian missile range

Ahmadinejad dismisses ‘repetitive’ N-demands Tuesday, July 08, 2008

: Iran\

‘On one side world powers ask us to negotiate and on the other they threaten and say that we must renounce our rights’

TEHRAN: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday bluntly rejected as “repetitive” calls for Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, as world powers reviewed its response to an offer to end the five-year nuclear crisis.

Ahmadinejad’s defiant remarks were the latest sign Tehran’s response contains no suggestion it is ready to suspend uranium enrichment activities, which world powers fear could be used to make a nuclear weapon.

“It is a repetitive scenario,” the state news agency IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in an interview with Malaysian television from Kuala Lumpur where he is to attend the summit of the D8 group of developing nations.

“On one side they (world powers) ask to negotiate and on the other they threaten and say that we must give in to their illegal demands and renounce our rights,” he added. His comments come days after Iran gave an undisclosed response to the package from six world powers to break the deadlock in the nuclear standoff, which has raised fears of regional conflict and sent oil prices spiralling.

The proposal from the world powers offers Iran technological incentives in exchange for suspending uranium enrichment, which the West fears could be used to make a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana-who presented the offer last month-sought to quell speculation of an immediate breakthrough in the standoff.

“I hope that we will be able to continue the dialogue in the coming weeks. We’ll see, but I don’t want to give the impression of being too optimistic,” Solana told reporters in Paris. “It’s difficult.”

Some Iranian officials, including the foreign policy advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last week gave a relatively upbeat assessment of the package. Their comments helped ease oil prices, which had shot to record highs of over 145 dollars a barrel over fears the defiance of OPEC’s number two producer could lead to war. But Ahmadinejad stuck to his habitual hard line.

“We are in favour of dialogue but we will negotiate in a just atmosphere and on common subjects because negotiations in an unbalanced climate will have no result,” he said. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said earlier that he did not think that Iran’s response to the package “provides great hope. But it gives a little bit of hope.”

Solana also said he hoped to meet later this month with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Solana refused to give details of the Iranian response, which was delivered in Brussels on Friday.

The United States has never ruled out military action to end the Iranian defiance and concerns a strike could be imminent mounted after it emerged Iran’s arch enemy Israel had carried out dry-runs for an attack.

Hitting out at the “satanic desires” of US President George W Bush, Ahmadinejad shrugged off the idea that the United States could attack Iran. “Even if some countries like Israel and the United States join forces they will not dare to attack Iran and they know it very well,” Ahmadinejad said.

“They know that they cannot use the language of force against Iran and must bend in the face of the will of the Iranian people.” Iran rejects the Western accusations and insists its nuclear programme is solely aimed at generating energy for a growing population whose hydrocarbon reserves will eventually run out.

President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, which has urged a diplomatic solution, told Bush at the G8 summit in Japan that Moscow was awaiting signals in favour of dialogue from Iran. “Russia will do everything to stimulate dialogue with Iran and expects corresponding signals from the leaders of Iran,” Medvedev’s diplomatic advisor Sergei Prikhodko told journalists.