Iran: Not afraid of US attack   (AP)  Updated: 2006-05-12 14:58  
Iranian president said Friday that his country was not afraid of U.S. 
military action over its uranium enrichment program, but added that he thought 
any such strikes were very unlikely.  
 
 
 
   Iranian President 
 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad greets students from Indonesian university (UI) as he 
 leaves the campus after giving a lecture, at the Depok district on the 
 outskirt of Jakarta May 11, 2006. Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful and 
 has no military purpose, Ahmadinejad said on Thursday, adding he was ready 
 to engage in dialogue with anybody. 
[Reuters] |   
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a dialogue with Indonesian 
Islamic leaders. 
 Asked whether his country was prepared to face an attack by the United 
States, he said "that is very unlikely because they know the Islamic Republic of 
Iran is a strong country." 
 "They are trying to frighten our country by waging a propaganda campaign 
using strong words. The people of Iran and the country are not afraid of them," 
he said to applause from the audience. 
 The United States is leading an international campaign to get Iran to open 
its nuclear program to international inspections, saying it fears the Middle 
Eastern country is developing nuclear weapons - a charge Iran denies. 
 While Washington has said it favors a diplomatic end to the dispute, it 
hasn't ruled out military force and is behind a charge at the United Nations for 
economic sanctions to be brought down on Iran. 
 One member of the 30-strong audience urged Ahamdinejad to go ahead and 
develop nuclear weapons, saying the "enemies of Islam" also had them. 
 The Iranian leader did not reply directly, but quipped that "every young man 
in the Islamic world is an atomic bomb because they have faith, God and love the 
character of the Prophet Muhammad." 
 Ahmadinejad, known for his fiery rhetoric, has become a pariah in the West. 
 But he has received a warm welcome during his three-day visit to Indonesia, 
where his willingness to criticize the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan _ 
seen by many here as attacks on Islam _ his outspoken criticism of Israel, and 
his refusal to stand down to international pressure on the nuclear dispute 
resonates with many of its young people. 
    
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