A top official with the Iranian armed forces says certain Western powers are annoyed by Iran’s great success in fighting terrorism and capturing terrorist agents.

“Iran’s access to technical know-how needed in different industrial fields has thwarted sanctions imposed by arrogant powers and particularly the United States against Iran,” Deputy Head of Iran’s Armed Forces Headquarters Brigadier-General Seyyed Massoud Jazayeri said on Sunday.

He warned US and British officials that the policy of sanctions “would not be beneficial to them and [quite to the contrary] would harm them.”

“Western governments which support terrorism wrongly believe that they can always influence world public opinion through affiliated media,” said the senior commander.

“However, it has been proven that criminals and the main sponsors of terrorism and warmongers have never been able to hide their real face forever,” he added.

Referring to the recent arrest of the terrorist leader Abdolmalek Rigi by Iranian intelligence forces, Jazayeri confirmed the involvement of certain foreign officials in terrorist acts against the Islamic Republic.

“Disclosure of information about traces of the involvement of certain foreign officials in terrorist acts against Iran has opened a new chapter in international mistrust in Western governments which claim to support human rights,” he said.

Rigi was captured by Iranian security forces on February 23. He was aboard a passenger jet flying to Kyrgyzstan from the UAE when his plane was grounded in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

A few hours after Rigi’s arrest, Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi said that the notorious villain was at a US base 24 hours prior to being captured by Iranian forces, adding that the Americans had issued an Afghan passport for him.

In his confessions, Rigi revealed details about his ties with some intelligence agencies such as the CIA and said that he had closely cooperated with the security services of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that first load of 20% enriched uranium fuel had been produced and delivered to Iranian scientists.

Addressing marchers in the February 11th celebrations, The Chief Executive stated that Iran will continue to produce the nuclear fuel to meet domestic needs.

President Ahmadinejad added that production of 20pc enriched Uranium refuted Western claims of Iran’s incapability of enriching to this level.

“Some Western powers are saying that by production of 20% enriched uranium, Iran is one step closer to acquiring nuclear bombs. Is it possible to make bombs while all our activities are supervised by the IAEA?” President Ahmadinejad said.

He continued that bombs are made by those countries that haven’t signed the Non-proliferation Treaty or keep evading IAEA questions.

“The bone of contention is that they seek to dominate our region as a start to dominate the whole world while the free and advanced Iran is a hurdle to their goals,” the President said.

President Ahmadinejad said that scientifically speaking, the pace of Iranian progress is the quickest the world over and that Iran was speedily scaling up to the peaks of science and technology.

The President noted that the West was not willing to see the dignity of Iran, however it fronts such issues as nuclear issue, biotech advances, human rights issue and current regional affairs as excuses to cover up its domineering approaches.

President Ahmadinejad castigated the US for its interventionist policies in Iraq and Afghanistan and for its priority support to the Zionist regime, adding however that the regime’s life span would grow shorter through such supports.

President Ahmadinejad noted that America had devised and incited an illusion of crisis in the region in a bid to sell its arms. The President urged the leaders of the few hostile western countries to realize that the era of superpowers and tyrants was over.

While Tehran remains open to “honest” nuclear cooperation with other countries, Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) speaker criticizes the West for following double standards and spiteful approach regarding the country’s nuclear program.

“The fact is that you (Western powers) seek a type of political fraud. You want to coax the enriched uranium out from Iran,” Fars News Agency quoted Ali Larijani as saying on Saturday.

“We will make our own decision about enriched uranium for the Tehran research reactor. We do not need the West’s sympathy,” he added.

Iran needs 120 kg (264 lb) of 20 percent-enriched uranium to fuel the Tehran research reactor, which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hinted earlier that the country was ready to participate in a UN-drafted nuclear swap proposal in order to provide fuel for the reactor, which is running low on supplies.

Iran had earlier argued that if it ships out the bulk of its low enriched uranium — as requested under the proposed deal — there would no guarantees that the enriched fuel would eventually find its way back to the country, given the fact that Western nuclear powers have on numerous occasions breached their nuclear contracts with Tehran.

On Friday, Mottaki said the country was “close” to an agreement with the other parties.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki slammed Western powers on Saturday for taking advantage of Iran’s nuclear program to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

“Western countries know that Iran does not seek to produce nuclear weapons,” Mottaki said in a meeting with Malaysia’s new ambassador to Tehran, Mohamad Sadik Kethergany. “However, they intend to use it as a pretext for interfering in the internal affairs.”

Mottaki praised growing ties between Tehran and Kuala Lumpur and said the two sides have the potential to improve economic and cultural cooperation.

The United States and Israel accuse Iran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear pursuit.

After imposing rounds of unilateral sanctions against Iran, the US rallied its European allies — Britain, France and Germany — to coerce the UN Security Council to pressure Tehran into abandoning its program.

Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is entitled to pursue nuclear technology for civilian purposes.

Malaysia supports Iran’s right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

A senior Iranian lawmaker says that Western powers have not yet agreed with Iran’s terms for a nuclear swap deal.

The head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said that Tehran will resume its enrichment activity to produce 20-percent enriched uranium, if the West refuses to reply to Iran’s proposal for the nuclear swap deal within one month.

Hossein Ebrahimi said that Iran has voiced its readiness for a staged nuclear swap deal in Japan, Brazil, Turkey or the Kish Island in southern Iran but the West has not yet replied to the proposal.

“Iran proposed a rational way for fulfilling its needs to supply the nuclear fuel required for the Tehran Research Reactor and if they (Western powers) are rational they will give a positive response to the proposal,” Mehr news agency quoted Ebrahimi as saying.

He stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also agreed with Iran’s proposal and has asked the US, France and Russia to act on that.

“Iran has proposed three countries and an island as the location of the nuclear swap but the West has not yet accepted that. So the only option that remains for Iran is to begin production of nuclear fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor after the set deadline,” Ebrahimi concluded.

As Western powers batten down the hatches and prepare sanctions against Tehran, a senior Russian official says there still is no proof of an Iranian nuclear weapons program.

In remarks published on Friday, deputy Russian foreign minister Alexander Saltanov reiterated that Moscow is not convinced that Iran seeks to weoponize its nuclear program, and moreover he has not been shown any corroborative evidence confirming that the country has any such plans.

“Russia has no concrete information that Iran is planning to construct a weapon. It may be more like Japan, which has nuclear readiness but does not have a bomb,” Primakov told The Jerusalem Post.

In order to pressure Iran into halting its nuclear work, Washington and a number of European countries have vowed to push for new UN sanctions early next year.

But the calls for renewed pressure were once again snubbed by China and Russia.

Saltanov said while “Iran has a positive potential” to cooperate with the West on its nuclear case, it is most evident that a military solution against the Tehran government would only make matters worse.

“If Israel attacks Iran it will cause great instability and will only postpone the Iranian program, not end it,” noted the Russian official.

Israel routinely threatens to bomb Iran’s enrichment sites, arguing that the country’s nuclear work is a mortal threat to Tel Aviv, which ironically is reported to have the Middle East’s sole nuclear arsenal and 200 nuclear warheads at its disposal.

This is while Iran, unlike Tel Aviv, is a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has opened its nuclear facilities to routine inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog.

In response to Israeli war threats, Tehran warns that if Tel Aviv steps out of line, it will close the strategic Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic, including the 15 or so supertankers that sail through on a daily basis to deliver the world’s oil supplies.

A recent report by the US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) has confirmed that if the United States or Israel decide to bomb Tehran’s nuclear sites, Iran’s naval modernization and maritime capabilities have reached a point where it can shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“Given the importance of the Strait, disrupting traffic flow or even threatening to do so may be an effective tool for Iran,” said the intelligence report, which was revealed by Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin in November.

It notes that while Iran’s ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz may be transitory, the impact would undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for the already-fragile world economy.

“[World economies would suffer] a serious economic impact from a sustain closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to greatly reduced supplies of crude oil, petroleum supplies and (liquefied natural gas),” ONI said.

On the same note, the report adds that not only has Tehran acquired “increasingly sophisticated systems” from China and Russia, but the “modernization” of the Iranian navy is to an extent that would help the government carry out such a closure if need be.

As Western powers push for a fourth set of sanctions against Iran, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he hopes the punitive measures are “significant.”

“I think that you are going to see some significant additional sanctions imposed by the international community, assuming that the Iranians don’t change course and agree to do the things they agreed to at the beginning of October,” Gates said in a Friday address to US military forces in Kirkuk, Iraq.

With regards to an alleged plan by the Israeli government to attack Iran’s nuclear site, Gates said that “any military action would only buy some time, maybe two or three years.”

His comments came a day after United States, Britain and France lobbied the UN Security Council to pass a new round of punitive economic and political sanctions as soon as next year.

During the UNSC meeting, Washington’s envoy to the United Nations, Susan Rice, stressed that the West is “firm in its conviction that Iran must comply with its international obligations.”

The move was strongly opposed by the UN representatives of Russia and China, both of whom called for “patience and restraint” in dealing with Tehran.

Sanctions have not proved helpful in the West’s strategy to force the Tehran government into halting its nuclear activities.

The Security Council, under pressure from key members such as Washington, has adopted three sets of sanctions against Iran over what it claims to be the country’s “suspicious nuclear activities.”

This is while Iran has signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has allowed regular inspections of its nuclear installations.

Last week the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution demanding that Iran stop construction of the newly-revealed Fordo nuclear facility outside Tehran.

The developments come as Western countries, spearheaded by the US, have been pressuring Iran to accept a UN-backed draft deal which wants Iran to send most of its domestically produced low enriched uranium (LEU) abroad to be converted into more refined fuel for the Tehran reactor that produces medical isotopes.

Iranian officials rejected the proposal, first floated by the administration of US President Barack Obama, saying there are no guarantees that the country would in fact receive the fuel it requires.

Tehran says it is ready to accept the nuclear swap only if the West can win back its trust.

While the Western powers have been pressuring Iran to accept a US-backed proposal over Iran’s nuclear fuel supply, the White House says it is still open to nuclear negotiations with Tehran but the time is running out.

US National Security Advisor James Jones said on Sunday that the White House is “still open to nuclear talks” with Tehran, but “the clock is ticking” towards the end of the year.

The remarks comes as Western powers, spearheaded by the US, have been keeping the heat on Iran to accept a proposal which would see Iran ship its Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) abroad for further processing and have it returned for use in the Tehran research reactor, which produces medicine.

The UN-backed fuel draft deal which was first floated by the Obama administration requires Iran to send abroad most of its LEU to be further processed and then returned to the country for use in the Tehran research reactor.

Iranian officials rejected the proposal, saying there are no guarantees that the country would in fact receive the fuel it requires.

Iran says it will consider the offer if the nuclear swap takes place within the country’s borders, but the US says the proposal is unchangeable.

The United States along with other major powers including France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China have also drafted a resolution at the UN nuclear watchdog against Iran’s nuclear program, demanding the country halt construction of the Fordo nuclear facility.

Iran, however, says the West’s demand to stop construction at Fordo has no legal basis and such a move would not be within the framework of Tehran’s legal obligations.

Iran says it has fully cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency and all its nuclear activities have been under the supervision of the Un nuclear watchdog.

As Western powers mount pressure on Iran over its nuclear activities, China says it still advocates talks as the best possible means of solving the issue.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said on Tuesday that China advocates resolving Iran’s nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations and called on all sides involved to double “diplomatic efforts” to resolve the issue.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday passed a new resolution against Iran over the construction of its Fordo enrichment plant, located outside Tehran.

The resolution, which was drafted by the P5+1, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, calls on Iran to immediately halt construction of its second enrichment facility.

Malaysia, Venezuela and Cuba voted against the resolution; but Russia and China voted in favor of it. The move was surprising considering the fact that those two veto-wielding powers have repeatedly supported a peaceful solution to Iran’s nuclear issue.

The resolution was passed after the latest IAEA report confirmed the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran’s first nuclear plant in Natanz. It also said that Iran had allowed the agency to carry out a full inspection of its under-construction uranium enrichment facility.

IAEA inspectors have visited the Fordo enrichment facility twice and — according to IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei — found “nothing to worry about.”

Iran has dismissed the resolution as a “politically motivated” move that could introduce tension to the “spirit of cooperation.”

Tehran has also warned that attempts aimed at denying Iran its nuclear rights could reduce the country’s cooperation to “a legally mandated minimum,” which means it would not venture beyond its legal obligation.

In response to the resolution, the Iranian government also announced on Sunday that it was set to build ten new enrichment plants.

Iran’s announcement drew criticism from the US, Britain, France and Israel, with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesman going as far as to threaten Iran with new sanctions if talks fail to resolve the dispute over the construction of more uranium enrichment plans.

According to Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali-Akbar Salehi, Tehran had originally had no plans to construct more sites but the new resolution triggered the response from the Iranian government.

“The West adopted an attitude toward Iran which made the Iranian government to pass the ratification on construction of ten sites similar to the Natanz enrichment facility,” Salehi said.

Iran has asserted, however, that despite the pressure over its nuclear work, it will not pull out of the NPT and will remain a signatory to the treaty.

An influential Iranian politician has warned Western powers that they will receive a harsh response if they use aggressive language against Tehran.

“You can not interact with Iran by snapping at us. The world knows this… Anyone who tries to talk to us like that will receive a very harsh response,” Mohammad-Javad Larijani said in a Sunday night interview with Iran’s state radio.

Larijani, who heads Iran’s top STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) research institute, then went on to criticize the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog for his recent comments about Iran.

Larijani accused the outgoing director of trying to secure a future post for himself with his anti-Iran rhetoric and said it was an “ugly” sight to see a few powerful states turn the United Nations into a tool for exercising their influence.

Although he advised Western states against imposing more sanctions against Iran, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, said on Friday that the “ball is in Iran’s court” over its nuclear program.

“All the balls are in their court. The power is in our hands. We are not bluffing. We are speaking and acting in a very transparent and open manner… We seek our rights and nothing more,” said Larijani in response to ElBaradei’s words.

ElBaradei had made the comment in reference to a nuclear proposal whereby Iran would send its low-grade uranium (enriched up to a level of 3.5 percent) abroad to later receive 20 percent processed fuel for the Tehran nuclear reactor, which produces medicine.

The proposal, first floated by the US president Barack Obama’s administration, was put forward by the UN nuclear watchdog after a meeting between Iranian, Russian, US, and French diplomats in Vienna last month.

Tehran however, said that the agreements must undergo certain amendments to guarantee that the other side will stick to its side of the bargain.

Iran wants the fuel transfer to be conducted in a simultaneous swap within the country’s borders and under IAEA supervision.

Tehran’s request, however, has been treated as a refusal to accept the deal by some Western states.

Meanwhile, Tehran has clearly stated that it has accepted the basics of the deal. As for ElBaradei, he says he is still waiting for a written response.

“What I got of course is an oral response, which basically said ‘we need to keep all the material in Iran until we get the fuel,’” ElBaradei said.

Larijani went on to add that the deal must not deny Iran of the right to purchase nuclear fuel.

“We have to have the right to buy. If they want to deprive us of that we have to produce (the fuel) ourselves.”

Larijani said the deal was Tehran’s own “initiative”, explaining that it was Iran that had made the initial proposal for such an agreement by writing to the IAEA about its intent to buy higher enriched uranium.

He once again asserted that Tehran accepts “the basics of the agreement” but needs to reach an understanding about how the swap is carried out.

Larijani also said that the Iranian negotiating team should avoid discussing the details of that program with the Western sides.

“Whether we are enriching or not and to what level or whether we have yellow cake or facilities is not a topic for discussion. Whether we have buildings in Fordo or not has nothing to do with anyone.”

Larijani added that the only side to which Iran is committed to answer is the IAEA.

“According to Agency regulations we have to notify the IAEA two to three months prior to inserting (the fuel rods),” he said referring to Iran’s second nuclear plant which is under construction in Fordo.

“From an international perspective the Agency is the only body that can discuss these matters with us. The Agency can ask us what we are doing. What gives Britain, France and the US the right to interfere in our affairs?” asked Larijani.

Western powers leading nuclear negotiations with Iran have met in Brussels to discuss Tehran’s latest reaction to a proposal for enriched uranium exchange.

Representatives of the five permanent member of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany held a closed-door meeting early on Friday.

There has been no official word about the content of the sit-down, but a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said, “The meeting is to review the latest developments on the Iranian nuclear issue.”

The meeting came after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the country has sought to modify a Western-backed proposal put forth by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The proposal, in its current state, asks Iran to send most of its domestically produced low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further refinement.

Iran needs 20 percent-enriched uranium to power the Tehran nuclear reactor, which produces medicine for cancer treatment and other scientific necessities.

Mottaki, however, said on Wednesday that “Iran will not send its 3.5-percent-enriched uranium out of the country.”

Tehran has proposed to keep the LEU in a room sealed by the IAEA inside the country until the higher-enrich uranium arrives. Under this proposal, the exchange would be completed in two stages — 400 kg of Iran’s LEU would be exchanged with 58 kg of 20 percent-enriched uranium in each stage.

The US says it is not ready to abandon negotiations with Iran just yet, after Tehran’s announcement that it will not send its low-grade uranium abroad.

“We’re not going to close any… door on the engagement track, but at a certain point I think we’re going to start paying a little more attention to the other track,” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said on Wednesday.

“We’re not quite at that point right now, but as I said before, I think that time is short.”

His remarks came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran would not transfer its low-grade uranium abroad as suggested by the Western powers but would be ready to consider exchanging it with higher enriched fuel in a simultaneous swap inside the country.

Washington does not consider the announcement made by Mottaki an official response; therefore, it is waiting to see what answer the UN nuclear watchdog will receive from Iran, Kelly said.

However, he did interpret Mottaki’s remarks negatively, saying that they make Washington doubt the possibility of Iran giving a “positive response” to the deal.

Kelley added that the US would continue to discuss the dual track of “both engagement and pressure” against Iran with Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

While the US did not interpret Mottaki’s announcement as a “no” answer to the IAEA-proposed deal, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner attacked Iran for refusing to send low-enriched uranium abroad, describing Tehran’s decision as a “negative” move.

“There is a clear and negative response from the Iranians,” he said, adding that the result was not encouraging.

“We have met on every possible occasion our Iranian negotiating partners. This parallel track has not really borne fruit but we push on, we continue to talk with the Iranians,” Kouchner said.

The deal, which the IAEA drew up after talks with Iran, the US, France and Russia in Vienna last month, proposes an exchange of Iran’s low-grade uranium (enriched up to 3.5 percent) with fuel processed to higher levels of around 20 percent.

Iran needs the higher enriched fuel to run the Tehran nuclear reactor which produces radioisotopes, used in medicine for cancer treatment and other clinical purposes.

Despite the reactions from the West, analysts believe Mottaki’s comments can not be interpreted as a negative response as they do not undermine the exchange itself, but simply suggest a different means of transfer that could allay Tehran’s concerns.

According to some analysts, Tehran is worried that the other side may not stick to its side of the bargain after Iran transfers its low-enriched uranium abroad for further processing.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Western powers are concerned about Tehran’s steady progress in becoming energy independent rather than its alleged potential to build a nuclear bomb.

“The [Western] powers are in fact afraid of Iran’s many accomplishments in nuclear technology, rather than its capability to produce a nuclear bomb,” Ahmadinejad said in an interview with Turkey’s TRT TV channel.

Speaking ahead of a high-level visit to Turkey, the Iranian president said the nuclear issue has been “over-politicized” in recent years.

Mindful of the West’s disgruntlement about Istanbul’s growing relations with Tehran, Ahmadinejad insisted that he does not intend to “come between Turkey and its Western neighbors.”

“Iran has asked Turkey to strengthen ties with its eastern neighbors, but this should not be seen as a call for Turkey to break ties with Western countries,” he noted.

The Iranian president made the comments as he prepares for a three-day conference of the Permanent Committee of Social and Economic Cooperation (COMSEC), which kicks off in Istanbul on Sunday.

On a different note, Ahmadinejad said he supported Turkey’s bid to become a full member of the European Union, adding that it would “promote EU credibility even more.”

Turkey’s accession to the EU has been a subject of heated debate over the past few years. The country began full membership negotiations with European countries in 2005.

After holding three days of nuclear discussions with Western powers, Iran says it is ready for the next round of talks in order to ensure that its technical concerns regarding the issue of a guarantee for the supply of nuclear fuel are addressed.

Speaking to Press TV on Monday, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to buy its needed nuclear fuel from global suppliers.

“We are ready to buy [the fuel] from any supplier under the full surveillance of the IAEA … as we bought from Argentina about 20 years ago with the cooperation of the IAEA. The core issue is assurance and guarantee for [the] supply of the fuel,” Soltaniyeh said.

Following three days of nuclear negotiations between officials from Iran, the United States, Russia and France, Western powers put forward a proposal that Iran ship much of its enriched uranium abroad for reprocessing into fuel for a Tehran medical research reactor.

Soltaniyeh said the IAEA is mandated to fulfill Iran’s request from suppliers, and called for the agency’s cooperation in providing its needed enriched uranium in the form of fuel rods.

“The (International Atomic Energy) Agency is mandated to fulfill such peaceful and humanitarian request in accordance with articles I and II of the statue,” Soltaniyeh told Press TV.

He said, “This is a chance for fuel suppliers to prove their political will to enter into technical cooperation for such humanitarian projects.”

Referring to a past nuclear cooperation with France during which Iran paid for its needed fuel and did not receive it, Soltaniyeh stressed that the fuel supply guarantee is the core concern for Iran.

“We had constructive preliminary discussions in Vienna from October 19th to 21st at the IAEA headquarters. We are ready for the next round of technical discussions in order to make sure that our technical concerns especially the issue of guarantees for the supply of fuel is taken into consideration,” he explained.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Western powers have used full-fledged psychological tactics as a lever to influence nations against their better judgment.

Ahmadinejad said some regimes, including those in Israel, are using propaganda campaigns and psychological tactics as their prime weapon-of-choice against other countries.

“Once you take away these weapons, there is not much that they can do,” said the Iranian President at a conference on media and psychological war in Tehran on Sunday.

He described the sheer lack of world action against Israeli war crimes in Gaza as a direct result of western propaganda campaign. “The Israelis have killed Palestinians from day one and yet they still come across as innocent victims in the world,” he said.

Regarding the US invasion of Iraq, the president said they (the US) deploy their soldiers from thousand of miles away to Iraq and take control of all of the affairs of the Iraqi nation and then accuse others of meddling in the internal affairs of the country.

Ahmadinejad brushed off the concept of ‘Western-style liberal democracy’, saying that real political oppression can be seen in the US and European societies.

“Claims of pluralist democracy in the West is nothing but a big lie,” said the Iranian President.

The Iranian president said more than one hundred thousand people demonstrated in Pittsburgh in protest of the G20 summit, which did not receive attention in the Western media. But if 2000 people demonstrated in a country, which opposes US policies then the incident would make headlines for a long period.

Ahmadinejad’s remarks were a follow-up to his address to the Islamic Radio and TV Union Assembly last week.

In the meeting, Ahmadinejad said corporate media has turned into a weapon of subterfuge, with the sole aim of advancing the West’s political agenda.

He went on to cite random examples of political bias in US and European media outlets, including the scant media coverage of Israel’s three-week attack on Gaza and the lack of media attention to the brutal murder of Marwa el-Sherbini, a pregnant Egyptian woman who was stabbed to death in a German courtroom.

Ahmadinejad also pointed to the recent media hype over Iran’s June 12 election and its enrichment activity.

Iran says the sudden commotion over a nascent enrichment facility outside Tehran is a Western ploy to create high international tensions ahead of crucial nuclear talks.

Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani said Sunday that Western powers seek to make an issue out of Iran’s nuclear activities in order to “impose their will on the country during the upcoming negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group.

“Such efforts are primarily designed to impose the Western will on Iran and force the country into submission during the upcoming negotiations,” noted Larijani.

Western countries should have learnt by now that these tactics are all but a lost cause, he added.

Larijani said the commotion over Iran’s nuclear plans is utterly meaningless, as the country has repeatedly spelled out its peaceful nuclear plans “in no uncertain terms”.

“Even after we launched the facility in Isfahan, [US and European countries] raised serious concerns over the nature of enrichment plant. This is while they were well aware the product of the company is UF6, which is by no means threatening,” he said.

The Majlis speaker said the West has remained at loggerheads with Iran mainly over the independent and home-grown nature of its nuclear technology, which, according to Larijani, would give the country considerable leverage in the region.

In line with its policy of nuclear transparency, Iran announced the construction of a second enrichment plant in a letter to the UN nuclear watchdog on September 21. The new plant is due to produce enriched uranium up to 5 percent.

The letter was sent 12 months before the agency’s regulations oblige its members states to inform of new developments.

According to the agency’s document 153, member states are obliged to inform the body of the existence of enrichment plants 6 months before the introduction of nuclear materials into the facility.

US President Barack Obama, flanked by British and French leaders, was quick to condemn the existence of the nascent enrichment facility, accusing the country of “nuclear deception” and “safeguards violations”.

David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector and now the head of the Institute for Science and International Security, disputed their claims on Friday, explaining that the move “does not constitute a formal violation of Iran’s obligations”.

Iranian nuclear officials have also dismissed the charges, asserting that Tehran had met its legal obligation to inform the UN nuclear agency of its activities and that it had invited inspections of the facility.

“Each and every one of the IAEA member states are entitled to enrich uranium, providing they inform the agency six months before the injection of gas,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the Chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

Boroujerdi said the Western hue and cry over Iran’s nuclear plans is totally unnecessary as the country notified UN nuclear officials about its nuclear plans well before the agency’s six-month deadline.

“By the looks of it, Western countries are planning to undermine nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1 group later this week,” said Boroujerdi.

Iran and the United States will hold their first diplomatic talks in 30 years on October 1. The sit-down –which would also involve Russia, China, Britain and France– is slated to focus on wide-ranging talks addressing global issues along with Tehran’s differences with some Western countries..

Ahead of his scheduled speech at the UN General Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once again questioned the reality of the Holocaust.

“Where did the Holocaust take place? Who has created the Holocaust? Has the Holocaust been made up by Western powers or Palestinians? Why should the Palestinian people pay for it?” asked the Iranian president in an interview with France 2 television aired Tuesday.

“These are questions that have not been answered yet. We accept remarks by Europeans that [the Nazis] committed crimes during World War II, but who should pay for these crimes?” he added.

“Should the Palestinian people who played no role in the occurrence of the Holocaust pay for it?”

Ahmadinejad urged an investigation into the Holocaust ‘if it were a historical event’.

Speaking on the annual Qods Day, the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, on September 18, Ahmadinejad renewed his comments about Israel and what he called the ‘myth’ of the Holocaust, causing outrage in the European Union, US, Russia and Britain.

While he did not deny the Holocaust, the Iranian president asked Western powers to give logical answers to unanswered questions about the issue.

Asked about the death of Neda Aqa-Soltan during the post-election unrest, Ahmadinejad said, “Her story was a suspicious case.”

“Those who provoked the unrest from inside and outside the country should be accountable for Aqa-Soltan’s death,” he added.

“A story just like that of Aqa-Soltan took place in Venezuela. This shows that there is a scenario, which victimized an Iranian citizen,” said the president.

Regarding the murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman in a German court, Ahmadinejad said, “A woman has been killed in a court, which should be the most secure place.”

“As a reporter, can you explain the stance of [French Foreign Minister Bernard] Kouchner on the issue which happened in a neighboring country to France?”

“The era of double standards is ended,” Ahmadinejad concluded.

Marwa el-Sherbini, who was about four months pregnant, was brutally murdered on July 1 in a courtroom in the German city of Dresden.

She was suing her neighbor for insulting her and calling her a terrorist for wearing an Islamic headscarf. During the trial, the defendant approached the witness stand and stabbed her 18 times in front of her 3-year-old son.

Her brutal murder and the German media’s belated and indifferent response sent shockwaves around the world with Muslim groups calling for legal action against the courtroom officials who failed to ensure el-Sherbini’s safety.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi says sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear program are as ineffective as a ‘rusty sword’.

“The Iranian nation favors interaction and dialogue but will not surrender to pressure,” Qashqavi said, commenting on the West’s move to consider a September deadline for talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

“Sanction is just a rusty sword which has not any major effect,” IRIB quoted Qashqavi as saying on Wednesday.

Qashqavi stressed that Iran is committed to its international responsibilities, but will not give up its nuclear rights.

Western powers have declared that they will give Iran nuclear talks until September and they would consider new sanctions against the country if Tehran does not halt its nuclear program through talks.

Italy has rejected media reports that suggest EU envoys in Tehran have been ordered to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

As President Ahmadinejad prepares to be sworn in for a second term, a flurry of media reports suggested that the European Parliament will continue to reject the reelection.

According to the reports, EU delegates, on the face of it, have decided to boycott the ceremony to protest the June 12 elections and its aftermath.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, however, dismissed the reports on Monday, saying that European diplomats would be present when Ahmadinejad takes his oath of office.

The swearing-in ceremony is slated to take place on August 5.

Iran’s political scene turned ugly after the June 12 presidential elections, when defeated pro-reform candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi publicly disputed campaign inequalities, voting process and the result.

Demonstrators, subsequently, gathered in thousands to protest the election results. At least 20 people were killed and many others were injured when some protests turned violent.

European countries adopted a critical stance toward the events ensuing Iran’s June 12 election, despite the Tehran government’s stern warning against foreign interference.

Iran says Western powers played a significant role in provoking anti-government sentiments in the country.