Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Photo: AFP
Ahmadinejad: Enemies seek to impede Iran's progress
Iranian president says enemies don't want Islamic Republic to 'blossom, urges his people to 'build country'
"All of our enemies' moves are focused on preventing Iran's development and progress," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a large crowd gathered in the city of Varamin, near Tehran, on Wednesday.
"They do not want to let Iran blossom," the president was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying. Ahmadinejad's comments followed statements by senior American officials regarding Washington's intent to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Related articles:
Ahmadinejad stressed that there was still work to be done in order to "reach full progress" and urged the Iranian people to help "build the country."
In an interview aired on CNN Wednesday, top US general Martin Dempsey said the armed forces are preparing for a possible attack on Iran.
"I am satisfied that the options that we are developing are evolving to a point that they would be executable if necessary," he said.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said there is no guarantee that Israel will give the United States warning if it decides to strike Iran, but added that Washington and Israel are sharing intelligence.
"We are trying to establish some confidence on the part of the Israelis that we recognize their concerns and are collaborating with them on addressing them," he said.
My biggest worry is they (Iranians) will miscalculate our resolve," Dempsey told CNN during a stop in Afghanistan. "Any miscalculation could mean that we are drawn into conflict, and that would be a tragedy for the region and the world."
Earlier this week US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Iran has reached the point where it can assemble a bomb in a year or potentially less.
In an interview for CBS's "60 Minutes," Panetta said that should Iran proceed with developing a nuclear weapon "then we will take whatever steps necessary to stop it."
