Ahmadinejad: Recognize our right to nuke energy

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that his country would continue pursuing nuclear energy, and would refuse to talk with any countries that did not recognize Iran's right to civilian nuclear power. "Iran cannot hold discussions with countries that do not recognize this right," he told a news conference during a visit to Algiers. "The Iranian people will ... continue their efforts toward acquiring nuclear energy for peaceful ends." Ahmadinejad denounced countries that have "mobilized all their energy to isolate" Iran over its nuclear program and blamed "the forces of occupation in Iraq" for fueling international terrorism. "Certain world powers who want to impose their will and their hegemony on the world ... to protect their interests, contribute to the exacerbation of terrorism," he said.