“We are not depending on nuclear weapons. We are also strong in other defence sectors,” says Larijani.
“We are not depending on nuclear weapons. We are also strong in other defence sectors,” Larijani said on ExpressNews’ talk show “Kal Tak”. The show will be aired today at 10pm.
Asked if Iran had the capability to defend itself against aggression from Israel, Larijani said the Jewish state would not dare do that because Iran was a much larger and stronger country than Israel.
“If America ever attacked Iran, the government and people of Pakistan will support Iran because Tehran has historic relations with Pakistan and Pakistanis,” said Larijani, adding that America would never commit such a mistake.
He proposed that Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan should jointly devise a solution to the Afghan imbroglio since the region would be left with major issues after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Asked about the multi-billion-dollar Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, Larijani said that despite US opposition the two countries should make decisions based on their own interests. He also offered to open up Iran’s borders with Pakistan, if the project was approved.
Larijani belongs to a prominent family of Iran with one of his brothers serving as the chief justice while another is an influential religious leader. He is also a strong candidate for president in the upcoming elections.
The Islamic republic is under various rounds of international sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme which the West fears is aimed at developing weapons. Iran insists its atomic work is peaceful.
On Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Tehran would “not retreat an iota” from “its nuclear rights”.
In an interview published on February 6 in Egyptian media, Ahmadinejad also claimed that Tehran had achieved nuclear capability. However, he said Iran was uninterested in attacking the “Zionist entity”, while referring to Israel.
Decisions on Tehran’s nuclear programme rests with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose representative Saeed Jalili leads the negotiating team in talks with world powers. An earlier proposal by Washington to directly discuss the Iranian programme at Almaty with the Iranian team was shot down by Khamenei last week.
Iran is also being pressured by the UN’s atomic watchdog agency to grant broader access to its facilities, scientists and documents to resolve outstanding concerns over its past atomic activities. translated by Arshad Shaheen
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2013.
COMMENTS (34)
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No nation wants or needs Nukes except to deter belligerent sociopathic government from attacking.
every nation has a right to have defensive deterrent weapons.
Mutual Nuclear Deterrence makes both venues unsafe for war.
a few nukes can deter many nukes
a few nukes can deter the US military
the US government will not do anything that risks a nuclear detonation in the biosphere.
The thought, the possibility, the threat of only one nuclear missile headed toward on American city will deter the entire US military.
The fact that a nation has the know how and the ability to make a nuclear weapon, wether they admit they have one or not is a nuclear deterrent.
Iran has achieved Mutual Nuclear Deterrence with the US and with Israel
Iran is a nuclear state..
Iran is no longer a "safe" place for Israel or the US to attack.
Israel and the US, have no choice now, they must begin a more civilized relationship with Iran.
All governments, especially the US and Israel must purge all sociopaths and natural born sociopaths from public office and positions of power.
The problem is not the nukes, it is the sociopaths,
We must all recognize the right of a nation to have defensive deterrent weapons, we must also respect and preserve that right.
We must also recognize the sociopaths and natural born sociopaths in our own societies and keep them out of political power, and off the air.
America and Israel has made no effort to keep sociopaths out of government.
@gp65.:
well, if Iran can claim to have developed nuclear weapons, I thought I could as well claim that I have personally developed anti-matter weapons!
@Yuri Kondratyuk: "ok. from today, I consider myself an individual anti-matter power"
Huh? No idea what hat meant.
Mr. Larijani khub khwab bood beidar shu. Iran and Pakistan both meddle in Afghanistan's affairs and if they think Afghans will forget all the subversive activities of said nations and all of a sudden become part of a Shia or Punjabi Ummah, they are sadly mistaken.
ok. from today, I consider myself an individual anti-matter power
@S its Inn Shaa Allah not"INSHALLAH "
Most depotic regimes like Pakistan, Iran and North Korea think they have nukes and nobody can hurt them.
Not anymore in this modern world. You needn't have to fire a bullet to hurt a nation, Sanctions will do.
US/EU sanctions are hurting Iran. Iran has Oil! Yet, its economy is wilting and inflation has increased tremendously and will continue to increase, until most people come under the poverty line. The rulers will be rich, like in North Korea, but people will be poor(NK has a 80% poverty rate).
If US was not dependent on Pakistan for the supply routes, we would have seen similar things happen to Pakistan by now. The good news is, that dependence will cease to exist in 2014. Even better news is that is just a year from now.
Come 2015 or 2016, if the parameters remain the same as of today, Pakistan might well be under sanctions or trade imbargoes or whatever. No aid, no loans from IMF/WB, no trade concessions, NOTHING!
Then, Pakistan will realize how big a folly was it to not follow the civilized world and the TTP would have gotten even stronger.
Who knows this could be the last decade of civilian rule in Pakistan. Taliban are coming. So is the sanctions.
@@Raj: I am totally against anyone, be it Pakistan or Iran or Afghanistan protecting any factions of talibans. Even if India does it (I do not think India is doing it or will ever do) it is still wrong. As far as US is concerned, continued presence of talibans is not going to affect them as it is far away. It is only those countries in the region that would be in turmoil and stand to loose the most, not only their country but also their culture.
@Pakistani: You have nailed it. So true
Shut up man...Iran has housed taliban as well. And have also supported em in many forums. As the taliban are now against Pakistan shod we now consider Iran as enemy as well. Irrational comment by you. Every force on this planet keep their connection with another force. Even US has links with taliban. What do u have to say abt that.
@kanwal: Bang on target. Drones and Salala occurred to me as well. Unsure if it's lack of ability or lack of will that prevents Pakistan from defending its sovereignty.
An empty pot makes more noise. Let us first protect our own citizens and territory from the terrorists first before defending Iran. Banking on Pakistan for protection says it all!
Just like Iran helped India covertly every time we had a war with them?
@Shahmeer: @Saleem:
That was during the reign of the shah, ever since the Islamic revolution Iran is more pro-pakistani then pro-indian.
@S: so much for Ummah, why does Iran have great relations with India? and has never supported Pakistan on Kashmir and other issues? time to come back to reality, "brother".
" He proposed that Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan should jointly devise a solution to the Afghan imbroglio" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Afghanistan and Pakistan have a huge trust deficit and Pakistan and Iran have a huge trust deficit. Therefore, the three together cannot come together.
science is quite good in iran i have there math research papers by Iranian university profs.
@Shahmeer: You must be crazy. Saudi Arabia and Iran are the only two countries who helped us in 1965/1971 and the baloch liberation war. We got 51 Jets for free, many jets went to Iran to get refueled for free and 60% of weaponry and personnel against Baloch were provided by Iran as our main bases were in Punjab and Sindh directed towards India
So many Indian trolls always ready to undermine Pakistan. We are not as bad as some people are trying to imply here with their fake Names and in future Pakistan must establish best relations with their neighbors including Afghanistan,Iran and Central Asian states.
Iran is not a real nuclear power. Rather, they are a "wanna-be" nuclear power. In other words, they are not a nuclear power at all. Any day, true nuclear powers such as the US, Russia, France or the UK could "wipe Iran off the map." One day Iranian leaders will wake up and realize that their "scientific achievements" are nothing. Unfortunately, due to Iran's foolish and provocative behavior this realization of Iran might happen very soon, when Western powers obliterate Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
Indian Call Centres will save Iran
Only powerful India can save Iran. Their fighter pilots are the best in the world, their people are the best fed, Indians are the richest nations in the world. And to top it off, Sunny Deol will save the day, leading a special forces team comprised of Akshay, SRK, Salman Aamir, Ajay, Devgn. Following that Narendra Modi will make Iran "Shining" Like Gujarat.
@S: Yes one Umma, one misery, no education all suicidal, of course one Umma.
An awful lot of Indian trolls who have made an appearance, Maybe Iran should opt for help from the mighty India, where they have a space program, and 650 million people without a toilet.
Go to Powerful, strong SHINING India.
They will be ready after Kumbh Mela.
Ali Larijani Zindabaad, Iran Zindabaad The Iranians you want to be friends with looking ahead, post NATO withdrawal. As a sunni (need to make that point clear FOR SOME) im 100% for better relations with Iran. Forget the moronic incompetent house of al saud, whos "kingdom" runs off the slavery of Pakistanis. They've helped create the monster thats causing trouble, with their allies in Pak. However, if PML-N come into power this year, expect them to take direct orders from riyadh, and put us all under the subservience of the habeeboos. For the record, out here in the west i've never had a bad word with an Iranian, they always get on great with me by in large. Saudis and Gulf dwellers on the other hand..... arrogance, and the word "miskeen" always seems to crop up.
Madness- why should Pakistan defend Iran ? - they never defended us against India
Iran should have learned from past when Israeli planes flew over its air space and hit targets inside it and still it didn't know what has happened until it became a news in Western press. And then US shot down one of its passenger planes and still Iran couldn't do anything. Mr. Larijani, we have heard similar talk from Sadam Hussain as well and we all are aware of its consequences as well. There is no sense in destroying your country on a false pretext.
Pakistan will stand by Iran if Iran promised to do the same, though history tells us that Iran never stood by Pakistan during its war with India, nor on world forums.
Iran,Afghanistan,Pakistan should collaborate more on trade and should sign a pact to defend together in time of foreign intervention in any country and hold military exercises together.
“If America ever attacked Iran, the government and people of Pakistan will support Iran because Tehran has historic relations with Pakistan and Pakistanis,” said Larijani, adding that America would never commit such a mistake. He proposed that Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan should jointly devise a solution to the Afghan imbroglio since the region would be left with major issues after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Larijani's statement in the first paragraph, that people of Pakistan will support Iran is his wishful thinking. His proposal that Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan should jointly devise a solution shows his concerns.
Pakistan protects and keeps talibans not only to use them against India but also to use them against Iran. It has also allowed US drones to operate from its territory to spy on Iran. Talibans are mainly Sunnis who hate Shias and want to wipe them out. So, Pakistan will never take them out. This is an important reason that Pakistan has avoided taking military action on talibans. They will negotiate with the talibans to keep them on their side. Iran also knows this well.
INSHALLAH we will stand by our Iranian brothers. One Umma
This guy is a fool. Pakistani army, public and politicians have never been able to defend themselves against USA'S drones even. Our border check posts and houses of terrrorists just miles from army placs get attacked for upto hours and we cant fly a single helicopter let alone defend against a full scalee on slaught. So Mr Larijani is fooling himself thinking we are a proud and strong nation who can be depended upon. Funny.
...Talk about mentally unstable. Almost everything he said is actually the complete opposite in reality.
They have Dr AQ Khan and Pakistan to thank for that.