Iranian President Claims Nation Will Be Ninth Nuclear Nation

On July 25, 2007 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held an interview with Channel 1 Iranian Television, where he discussed a wide range of topics about Iranian policy, focusing specifically on how the nation would deal with the West. Despite a number of continually grandstanding claims that seem to closely mirror the kind of thought patterns that plagued Saddam Hussein before his demise, one promise by the President stuck out poignantly, and eerily.

"We must bear in mind that we are becoming a nuclear country. When Iran becomes nuclear, it's not like any other country becoming nuclear. It means that Iran will automatically become one of the nine [nuclear] countries of the world," he told the interviewer - suggesting that they would become the ninth member of a global nuclear community. While this may seem innocent on the surface, it should be pointed out that there are not eight nations with nuclear energy. Indeed, there are at least as few as twenty-one, and possibly as high as twenty-five, from the United States to Norway.

On the inverse however, there are currently eight declared nations with nuclear weapons. These nations are:

1. The United States of America
2. The Federal Republic of Russia
3. The United Kingdom
4. France
5. The People's Republic of China
6. India
7. Pakistan
8. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea - AKA North Korea

Meanwhile there is the undeclared ninth nation of Israel, who is suspected of having a nuclear weapon.

This revelation comes amid a series of "foul ups" by Iranian officials when discussing the proposed Iranian nuclear program. On Channel 2 Iranian TV, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, "We emphasize the peaceful nature of our nuclear weapons... I mean... of our nuclear power plant, and nuclear energy and activities." This resulted in a rise of apprehension and tension that came amid several further reports coming from Iran and Iran's sympathizers.

While the West does not necessarily fear a direct ICBM attack from the relatively impoverished nation - which has been noted to be destroying large quantities of its valuable petroleum export to make room for its nuclear program - there is a growing concern of nuclear weapons being handed off to terrorist factions such as Hezbollah or the Taliban, which would be consistent with Iran's behavior supporting the Shi'ite militias in Iraq, and backing the 2006 war against Israel.

To further add to this fear, General Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the faction recently threatened with being dubbed as a terrorist organization by the United States and responsible for the kidnapping of British sailors in Iraqi waters earlier this year, Yahya Safavi said, "Moreover, we are capable of giving these missile systems to neighboring and friendly countries. There is nothing preventing us from doing so," on Al-Alam TV in 2006. He went on to explain, "We do not rely only on defense technology. The IRGC has thousands of martyrdom-seekers, who have gained military experience during the eight years of war, and these martyrdom-seekers are prepared to carry out martyrdom operations on large scales. They operate professionally, and have undergone training. They have a strong spirit of martyrdom," highlighting Western fears of nuclear armed suicide bombers.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials' discussions of the nuclear program by President Ahmadinejad become synonymous with cries against the United States and Israel, calling for the destruction of both. When called to give a speech that was featured on Channel 2 Iranian Television, a speaker roused the Iranian crowds to call out a bizarre and almost cultic chant decrying the United States as weak, broken, and desperate for Iran to approach it with negotiations. At this same speech, the president explained how Iranian scientists had found a way to "prevent and cure AIDS," - blaming the United States for inventing it, and promising that it was the peace loving Iranian people that had put a stop to it.

"Last year, you insisted on your right, and today, with Allah's grace, you have consolidated this indisputable right, and you have sprayed the dust of despair and regret on the faces of your enemies. This celebration is the Iranian people's great celebration of its nuclear energy," Ahmadinejad told the jeering crowds - an ominous and worrisome quote when one brings up the idea of asserting dominance over an "enemy" synonymously with discussing nuclear power.

Iranian analyst Dr. Majid Abbasi hinted at Iran's excuse mongering when he said on Iranian television, "Experience has shown that sanctions cannot work. I would like to say that such sanctions have been imposed upon Iran for a long time, but they have not been successful. Moreover, these sanctions have been proven to be unsuccessful in the case of North Korea. North Korea also faced severe sanctions, but it obtained nuclear weapons. Now, under the great pressure of these sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which talks about nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, may find itself under so much pressure that it will move towards nuclear energy for non-peaceful purposes."

Kuwaiti MP Dr. Walid al-Tabtabai joins with the West in disbelief that the oil rich Iran is interested in a peaceful nuclear energy program.

"Iran has oil and gas reserves that will last it for dozens, if not hundreds, of years," he said, "I don't think it's true that this project is for energy purposes. If only this nuclear project were directed against Israel, but it isn't. We have experience with this kind of regime - whether the former Iraqi regime, or the totalitarian regimes in Iran and elsewhere. They want to intimidate their neighbors."

All these signs seem to point chillingly back to the promise that Iran will join as the ninth nuclear nation, despite the fact that there are only eight nuclear armed nations, and over twenty nuclear powered nations.

Transcripts
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1526.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1385.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1342.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1314.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1288.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1267.htm
http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1166.htm