Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad – “Iran Has Joined the Club of Nuclear Countries”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad raises his fist after deliving a speech in Kalate Nader near the holy city of Mashhad, 950 kms northeast of Tehran. Iran’s hardline president declared his country was poised to enter the world’s “nuclear club” in defiance of UN Security Council demands, as the Islamic republic announced it had begun small scale enrichment of uranium.

ASSociated Press: Iran Hits Milestone in Nuclear Technology

Iran has successfully enriched uranium for the first time, a landmark in its quest to develop nuclear fuel, hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday. He insisted, however, that his country does not aim to develop nuclear weapons.

In a nationally televised speech, Ahmadinejad called on the West “not to cause an everlasting hatred in the hearts of Iranians” by trying to force Iran to abandon uranium enrichment.

Stalling has paid off for Iran. First, they cover up their nuclear development programfor decades and then they stave off the IAEA and the United Nations.

Is Iran close to developing enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon?

Israel intelligence around the first of 2006 said Iran may be 6 months to a year away. But, who really knows?

Iranian artists perform as they hold up samples of enriched uranium after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speeches in Mashad, April 11, 2006.

“At this historic moment, with the blessings of God almighty and the efforts made by our scientists, I declare here that the laboratory- scale nuclear fuel cycle has been completed and young scientists produced enriched uranium needed to the degree for nuclear power plants Sunday,” Ahmadinejad said.

“I formally declare that Iran has joined the club of nuclear countries,” he told an audience that included top military commanders and clerics in the northwestern holy city of Mashhad. The crowd broke into cheers of “Allahu akbar!” or “God is great!” Some stood and thrust their fists in the air.

Stay tuned for the West’s response……

Previous:

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Producing Enriched Uranium

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ahmadinejad – “Iran Won’t Back Down ‘ONE IOTA’ in Nuclear FLAP

Iran Nuclear Watch: Bush – “Wild Speculation”

Iran Nuclear Watch: White House Dampens Talk of Iran Military Strike

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – “United States Engaged in Psychological War”

Iran Nuclear Watch: United States Nuclear Attack on Iran – “Not on the Agenda”

Iran Nuclear Watch: United States Considers Use of Nuclear Weapons Against Iran – Redux

Iran Nuclear Watch: United States Considers Use of Nuclear Weapons Against Iran

Iran Nuclear Watch: IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei Will Meet With Iran Leaders

Iran Nuclear Watch: John Bolton – “Bush Administration is Considering Other Diplomatic and Economic Options to Deter Iran”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Successfully Test-Fires a “Top Secret” Missile

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – “Defenses Can Withstand Any Invasion”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Blix – “Iran is at Least Five Years Away from Developing a Nuclear Bomb”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Tests More Weapons in “War Games”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – “Successfully Fires a High-Speed Underwater Missile”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Brits in Secret Talks About Iran Military Strikes

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Tests New Stealth Missle

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Plans “War Games”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – “Enrichment Matter NOT Reversible”

Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council Permanent Members Agree on a Statement

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – Military Strikes Would NOT Stop Uranium enrichment

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Gearing Up for Uranium Enrichment

Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council Stalled But Diplomats Express Urgency

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – The West Should Apologize to Iran

Iran Nuclear Watch: Big 6 Meeting Yields Nothing

Iran Nuclear Watch: National Security Adviser Steven J. Hadley – “Iran’s New Willingness to Discuss Iraq a PLOY”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ambassador John Bolton – “U.N. Security Council to Send a ‘Strong and Clear Signal’ to Tehran”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Wants IAEA Supervision and Inspections

Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Ambassador John Bolton – “Iran’s Nuclear Threat – Just Like 9/11″

Condoleezza Rice Watch: Iran is the “Central Bank of Terrorism”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – “Iran’s Nuclear Fuel Program IRREVERSIBLE”

Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council Divided Over Response to Iran Nuclear FLAP

Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia – “Iran Still Considering Uranium Enrichment DEAL”

Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Rebukes Iran Over Withdrawl from Uranium Enrichment Negotiations

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Builds a Secret Underground Command Center

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Threatens “OIL” Weapon

Iran Nuclear Watch: Israel – “America Needs to Get Its Act Together.”

The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.

---

Technorati Tags: Iran, Russia, China, SergeiLavrov, UnitedNations, UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil, ZhouWenzhong, NicholasBurns, EuropeanUnion, MahmoudAhmadinejad, ManouchehrMottaki, JacquesChirac, Chirac, France, Iran, Nuclearweapons, nuclear, AbdulQadeerKhan, AliLarijani, CondoleezzaRice, JohnBolton, RezaVaidi, GholamHosseinMohseniEjehei, SergeiKiriyenko