New Iranian Leader Sends Strong Message To U.S.

New Iranian leader sends strong message to US

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The policy pursued by the newly-elected Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad casts a doubt on the possible changes in the country's relations with the West. On the first day of his presidency, Ahmadinejad sent a strong message to the United States. "Iran will strengthen ties with all countries except the US.

As for the United States, we will not be able to forge friendly ties with a country that is hostile to us. Doing this will be meaningless until Washington drastically changes its attitude toward Iran."

Ahmadinejad said Iran 'does not beware US threats'. He noted that the United States' concerns over Iran's nuclear activities are groundless.
"Possessing nuclear energy is the legal right of the Iranian people. We will be working to eliminate the drawbacks in the energy sector this way."

Ahmadinejad also said that Iran needs 'peaceful nuclear technology' to meet its needs in other fields, such as medicine, agriculture and science.

The Iranian President said his country plans to continue talks with the European Union concerning its nuclear activities. The new Iranian government has allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear facilities and UN inspectors were at work in Iran on Monday, Iranian officials said.

Ahmadinejad also said the economic sanctions against his country should be lifted.
Following his statement, the Israeli government called on the international community to continue its harsh policy on Iran. Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom called for international pressure on Tehran, saying that 'the new Iranian leader has no plans to abandon the nuclear program'.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also criticized the new Iranian leader.

"The radical Conservative coming to power in this country came as no surprise. The President's background shows that he is not a friend of democracy and freedom."

Former mayor of Tehran Mahmud Ahmadinejad was officially announced the President of Iran on June 25, after collecting 60% of votes and beating his opponent, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The 70-year old Rafsanjani, who got 35%, was informally considered the second top official of Iran who described himself as a person supporting a combination of 'reforms and conservatism'.

7 candidates ran for the presidential election in Iran. After none of them collected the required half of the votes in the first round, the election proceeded with a run-off. Rafsanjani, who served as President from 1989 till 1997, stood the greatest chance at being elected during the campaigns, an AssA-Irada correspondent reported from Iran.

Prior to the first round of the elections, Rafsanjani spent $1 million on advertising alone. A poll conducted by a group of Azerbaijani journalists at ballot stations in Iran suggests that most voters supported the former Iranian President. Nonetheless, the statement made by Mohamed Khatami at a news briefing a few days prior to being succeeded by the new president appears to be quite accurate.

"We always make projections, but then the people's views prevail", he said.

Ahmadinejad, 48, despite being Iran's first non-cleric President for 24 years, is considered more religiously conservative than leading political clerics like Khatami and Rafsanjani, is unlikely to challenge Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's views.

But some Iranian analysts do not expect the new government to adopt an immediately hostile attitude toward the West.

"Ahmadinejad will probably be quite cautious on foreign policy at first and focus more on his domestic agenda of wealth redistribution and social justice", said analyst Mahmud Alinejad.

By Nazira Khankishiyeva
Azernews Contributor