16 April 2009

Iran on Tuesday urged the United Nations to respond firmly to what it described as Israel's "unlawful and insolent threats" to launch an attack on Tehran's nuclear installations.

Israeli officials, including Israeli President Shimon Peres, recently have suggested that Israel could use military force to prevent Tehran from developing “nuclear weapons”.

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, insists it is only interested in building reactors that peacefully generate electricity and it is its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty while Israel is not a signatory for this treaty.

Israel is believed to be the sole nuclear power in the Middle East with more than 200 nuclear heads.

The Islamic Republic's UN ambassador, in a letter to Mexican UN Ambassador Claude Heller, said Israel was violating the UN charter and urged the international body to respond clearly and resolutely. Mexico holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council.

"These outrageous threats of resorting to criminal and terrorist acts against a sovereign country and a member of the United Nations not only display the aggressive and warmongering nature of the Zionist regime, but also constitute blatant violations of international law," Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee wrote.

Marco Morales, spokesman for Mexico's UN mission, confirmed receipt of the letter. He said Mexico circulated it to the rest of the council and would only take the issue further if council member states asked to do so.

The letter came two days after Peres told Israel's Kol Hai radio that Israel would respond with force if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad refused to soften his position on proceeding with a uranium enrichment program. "We'll strike him," Peres said in the interview.

An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted last month by Atlantic magazine as saying the government was weighing the military option.

Khazaee said the remarks were "unlawful and insolent threats" based on "fabricated pretexts."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to continue his country's nuclear program. Iran said on Monday it would welcome constructive dialogue on its nuclear program with the five Security Council permanent members - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia - as well as Germany.

Washington cut off ties with Tehran in 1980. Former U.S. President George W. Bush pursued a policy of isolating Iran during his eight years in office. U.S. officials, diplomats and analysts say U.S. President Barack Obama opposes the use of military force against Iran's nuclear sites but is worried Israel.

The New York Times reported that US and European diplomats have considered allowing Iran to continue enriching uranium for some period while talks get off the ground, which would mark a sharp shift in policy.

"We have all agreed that is simply not going to work -- experience tells us the Iranians are not going to buy it," the Times quoted a European diplomat as saying.

If approved, the shift in tactics would likely provoke outcry in Israel, which says Iran is trying to prevaricate while it continues to build a nuclear weapon.

"This would not be the first time that I have stood at this podium, having read something in the newspaper that I found to be not accurate," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood also denied the New York Times report.