Ahmadinejad criticizes Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia will join any consensus on more sanctions against Iran, a senior Russian diplomatic source said on Tuesday after Tehran declared it would expand nuclear activity in defiance of a U.N. rebuke. It was a thinly veiled Russian warning to Iran of waning patience with its failure to allay fears it aims to develop atom bombs in secret, and hinted that Iran could no longer rely on Russia to stop tougher world action against it, Reuters reported.



"If there is a consensus on Iran sanctions, we will not stand aside," said the Russian diplomatic source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.



By referring to "consensus", Russia could be leaving itself an escape hatch since China has been the most resistant to punitive steps against Iran among the six world powers.



The source made clear Moscow would not move so fast to embrace harsher sanctions as the United States and EU powers, who want to act early next year if Tehran has not begun fulfilling IAEA demands for nuclear restraint and transparency by then. "We will be thinking about sanctions but this is not an issue of the next few hours or weeks," he said.



Russia did not want to complicate the situation with threats against Iran. "We would rather have Iran cooperating more openly and consistently with the IAEA and showing clear steps to lift concerns - which are gaining greater foundation -- than introducing sanctions against Iran," the source said.



Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced defiance on Tuesday, saying sanctions would have no effect and that no more talks on the nuclear dispute were needed with the West. Speaking on state television, he also criticized Russian action.



"Russia made a mistake by backing the anti-Iran resolution and we believe that their analysis in this regard was incorrect," Ahmadinejad said.



In his televised comments, Ahmadinejad dismissed the threat of sanctions and warned any "aggressor" against Iran. "Sanctions will have no effect. Aggressors will regret their action as soon as they put their finger on the trigger," he said. "No one can isolate Iran because global interactions and Iran's unique characteristics in the Middle East will not allow such a move."