Iran: West playing with lion's tail

Tue, 05 Jun 2007

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described the UN Security Council's interference in Iran's peaceful nuclear program as illegal.

The Security Council should put an end to its 'illegal and unfair' actions and it should defend the interests of the nations instead of throwing support behind the big powers, the Iranian President said.

He made the remarks at a press conference held in Tehran on Tuesday.

If the Security Council continues its policy of imposing sanctions on Iran, it will only exacerbate the present situation, Ahmadinejad noted.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said, "Iran is like a lion sitting calmly in the corner - the West had better not play with the lion's tail."

"We have always had good and amicable ties with our neighboring countries; the Persian Gulf is the gulf of brotherhood, peace and friendship and if there is instability in the region, it is caused by the presence of foreign powers," he added.

The West is not capable of harming Iran by "its childish and stubborn behavior", Ahmadinejad concluded.