Ahmadinejad calls U.S. intelligence report a "victory" for Iran's nuke program

Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis

TEHRAN, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the recently-released U.S. intelligence report was a "great victory" for Tehran's nuclear program, the state television reported.

"Over our nuclear program, this is a great victory for the Iranian people against the great powers," Ahmadinejad was quoted as telling thousands of people in the Western Ilam province.

"You can see the report which said Iran was on the just way, this is a final blow for the enemy," he added.

The president stressed Iran was ready to talk with the West over the nuclear issue only when the other side also wanted to do so on the basis of "friendship."

"If you want to talk to Iranian people as an enemy, the Iranians will not back up and will conquer you, however, if you talk on the basis of friendship and cooperation, the Iranian people will be your great friend," he said.

Iranian officials on Tuesday welcomed an U.S. intelligence report which said Iran was not actively developing nuclear weapons.

"We naturally welcome those countries that had questions about Iran's nuclear case in the past and now correct their views realistically," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by the state radio.

"The whole world is becoming to know that Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful," he added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, in a statement faxed to the media on Tuesday, also welcomed the U.S. intelligence report as "positive and factual."

The report reflected the elaboration of 16 U.S. intelligent services and confirmed that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful andno violation is detected, Hosseini said.

Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also said Tuesday that the latest U.S. intelligence report on Iran's nuclear activities was "consistent" with the organization's findings in recent years.

This new assessment by the United States should help to defuse the current crisis, and encourage Iran to more actively cooperate with the IAEA on its current nuclear activities, he said.

The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), which came out on Monday, found out that Iran stopped an effort to develop nuclear weapons in the fall of 2003 but it continues to enrich uranium.

The estimate is less severe than a 2005 report that judged the Iranian leadership was "determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure."

But the latest report also said Iran could reverse that decision and eventually produce a nuclear weapon if it wants to do so.

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that Iran was still a danger and urged the international community to impose diplomatic pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program.

"To me, the NIE provides an opportunity for us to rally the international community, to continue to rally the community, to pressure the Iranian regime to suspend its program," he said.

"I still feel strongly that Iran is a danger," Bush said. "I think the NIE makes it clear that Iran needs to be taken seriously as a threat to peace."

He again refused to rule out military options against Iran, saying "the best diplomacy, effective diplomacy, is one in which all options are on the table."

IAEA confirms U.S. report on Iran's nuclear activities "consistent" with own findings

VIENNA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations nuclear watchdog said Tuesday that the latest U.S. intelligence report on Iran's nuclear activities was "consistent" with the organization's findings in recent years.

The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate released Monday said that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Full story

Iranian president: nuclear issue closed

DOHA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here on Monday that the disputed Iranian nuclear issue was "closed" from Iran's perspective and that his country had the right to develop new energy.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the 28th annual summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Ahmadinejad said "In our opinion, the nuclear issue is now closed." Full story

Iranian president seeks for co-op with Gulf Arab nations

DOHA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)'s annual summit here on Monday in a bid to close ranks and boost cooperation with the GCC nations.

Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian president invited to attend the gathering of the GCC, which groups the world's six top oil exporters, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Full story

U.S. demands world keep pressure on Iran

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior U.S. official urged on Monday the world community should "turn up the pressure" on Iran despite a new U.S. intelligence assessment that the Islamic republic appears less determined to develop nuclear weapons.

The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) suggested the U.S. strategy of ensuring "that the world will never have to face a nuclear-armed Iran" was on the right track, said U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.

"The bottom line is this: for that strategy to succeed, the international community has to turn up the pressure on Iran -- with diplomatic isolation, United Nations sanctions, and with other financial pressure -- and Iran has to decide it wants to negotiate a solution," he said in a statement.