Ahmadinejad: IAEA chief is a tool for the US

Hours before release of damning report, Iranian president says Amano "repeats words of the US," calls on IAEA to issue report on US nuclear activity.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday criticized the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, calling him a pawn for US interests.
Ahmadinejad said that IAEA was a tool for a few countries bent on world domination, and stated that Iran would continue to pursue nuclear development despite international pressure.
RELATED:Barak not optimistic about int'l will to stop Iranian nukesIsrael hoping IAEA report will spur West into action"They have empowered a person in the IAEA that has no authority and violates the agency's rules by repeating the words of the US," the Iranian president said according to Iranian semi-official FARS News Agency.
Ahamdinejad made the comments just as the IAEA was expected to release a report detailing intelligence about Tehran's nuclear capabilities.
The Iranian president also lashed out at the United States, saying Iran does not need an atomic bomb to "cut off [the] US's hands," official Iranian PressTV reported.
Noting that the United States possesses over 5,000 nuclear warheads,  Ahmadinejad accused Washington of arrogance in its campaign against Tehran.
The US, he said, has allocated "$81 billion to upgrade its atomic bombs, while the entire annual budget of Iran's nuclear research is merely $250 million," according to the report.
The UN nuclear watchdog report is expected to show recent activity in Iran that could help in developing nuclear warheads, including computer models of such weapons.