Iran 'will not plead to avoid sanctions'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Tehran will not yield to threats and will not give up its rights of a peaceful nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad says Iran will turn threats and sanctions into opportunities.

"We do not welcome threats and sanctions and we will never plead those who are threatening us with sanctions to not impose sanctions, but we will turn sanctions into opportunities," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on Thursday.

He made the remarks in response to US President Barack Obama, who had said new tough sanctions against Iran should be adopted within weeks.

The US president repeated his threat of sanctions in a Thursday news conference with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in the Czech capital, Prague.

“My expectation is that we are going to be able to secure strong, tough sanctions on Iran this spring," Obama said.

Three permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, France and the US — plus Germany want sanctions to stop Iran's uranium enrichment plans.

Other members China and Russia say diplomacy must be given a chance.

Iran is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its nuclear work is being monitored by the UN nuclear watchdog.

Tehran has repeatedly declared that it will not relinquish the legitimate nuclear rights of the Iranian nation under the West's pressure.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122802§ionid=351020101.