Larijani: Olmert is politically inert

Iranian top nuclear negotiator says Saturday that Israel's leadership is too weak to launch preemptive strike against Iran: 'Israelis drew lessons from the last war and they won't attack'

Dudi Cohen
Published: 11.25.06, 17:18 / Israel News

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Saturday that should Israel attack Iran with US backing, Iran will respond decisively.

"Although Israel has over 200 nuclear heads, we know it is not in a position to attack, because it drew lessons from the last war in Lebanon," he added.

Alliance

TIME: Iran, Syria helping Hizbullah rearm / Ynet

Based on intelligence sources, American weekly reports group has replenished nearly half of its pre-war stockpiles of short-range missiles and small arms with help from Damascus, Tehran. According to report, weapons transferred to secret Iranian base on outskirts of Damascus, shipped by truck across border into Lebanon

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"During one of my visits to Europe a European source told me that (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert is a political corpse," he added. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made similar comments last week when he ruled out an Israeli attack on Iran, charging that the Zionist regime is weak and has many problems."

Larijani, who serves as Supreme National Security Council Secretary, said United Nations sanctions on Iran would amount to "causing us problem," threatening that Tehran "will cause them problems too."

Larijani was speaking to senior Pakistani journalists and editors who visited Tehran.

He said the Tehran received purely "academic" assistance from the father of Pakistan's nuclear program Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Russia selling arms to Tehran

On Friday, a Russian Defense Ministry official said Moscow has begun delivery of Tor-M1 air defense missile systems to Iran, confirming that Moscow would proceed with arms deals with Tehran in spite of US criticism.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue, declined to specify when the deliveries had been made and how many systems had been delivered.

Ministry officials have previously said Moscow would supply 29 of the sophisticated missile systems to Iran under a USD 700 million (565 million euros) contract, according to Russian media reports.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday that Iran has agreed to submit documents related to its nuclear activities to the nuclear watchdog.

Agency head Mohammad ElBaradei described Iran's overtures as "an important step" which will allow his organization to determine whether Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes as it claims or whether its is a cover-up for making nuclear weapons.

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