Posted on 02/24/2007 11:00:07 AM PST by NormsRevenge
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Saturday the United States was not in a position to take military action against it and urged Washington and its allies to engage in dialogue.
"We do not see America in a position to impose another crisis on its tax payers inside America by starting another war in the region," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters.
Mottaki was responding to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who renewed Washington's warning to Iran earlier Saturday that "all options" were on the table if Tehran continues to defy U.N. demands to halt uranium enrichment.
At a joint news conference with Prime Minister John Howard during a visit to Australia, Cheney said the United States was "deeply concerned" about Iran's activities, including the "aggressive" sponsoring of terrorist group Hezbollah and inflammatory statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Cheney said top U.S. officials would meet soon with European allies to decide the next step toward planned tough sanctions against Iran if it continues enriching uranium.
"But I've also made the point, and the president has made the point, that all options are on the table," he said, leaving open the possibility of military action.
The United States and several of its Western allies fear that Iran is using its nuclear program to produce an atomic weapon — charges Iran denies, saying its aim is to generate electricity.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Thursday that Iran had ignored a U.N. Security Council ultimatum to freeze its uranium enrichment program and had expanded the program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges.
Enriched to a low level, uranium is used to produce nuclear fuel but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in building an atomic bomb.
The IAEA report came after Wednesday's deadline of a 60-day grace period for Iran to halt uranium enrichment. Iran has repeatedly refused to halt enrichment as a precondition to negotiations about its program.
Mottaki said negotiations, not threats, were the only way left to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear activities and urged the U.S. and its allies to return to dialogue when they are scheduled to meet in London next week.
"The only way to reach a solution for disputes is negotiations and talks. Therefore, we want the London meeting to make a brave decision and resume talks with Iran," Mottaki told reporters during a press conference with Bahrain's visiting foreign minister.
Bill Richardson, the governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico and 2008 U.S. presidential candidate, on Saturday also urged the Bush administration to negotiate directly with Iran over its nuclear program.
"Saber-rattling is not a good way to get the Iranians to cooperate," Richardson said in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post. "But it is a good way to start a new war."
A better approach, said Richardson, who served as U.N. ambassador during former U.S. President Bill Clinton's administration, "would be for the United States to engage directly with the Iranians and to lead a global diplomatic offensive to prevent them from building nuclear weapons."
Iran, he said, 'will not end their nuclear program because we threaten them and call them names."
Iran has said it will never give up its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel even at the risk of sanctions.
Bomb them just to prove them wrong.
Democrats are wussies.
Seems to me we are perfectly positioned. We've got about 400,000 troops right next door who can bug out in a few hours. And let's not even talk about Israel and what, four ACG in the region and at least one more a few days away.
Fools.
Simply a continuing 'plea' to the weak elements in American society.
LOL! They could use a good bombing.
I thought a "'Can we talk' moment" was a continuing ploy!
An offhand comment, but actually, there is much wisdom in doing precisely that.
So...they got no worries, right?
Lets pull out and let the Arabs fight them instead.
Remember what Bush said in 2003 :
"...We will turn them against each other..."
Sure are and the sooner the better.
Take out the Ayatollahs and Syrian Baathists and things will cool down in Iraq.
Simply a continuing 'plea' to the weak elements in American society.
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It's a rapidly growing class of folks unfortunately, the liberal mind control used the last 40 years in universities and other institutions is paying major dividends.
The Indoctrination and Dumbification of the sheople continues..
NLCLB (No Little Commies Left Behind)
Now this is rich. Some guy in Iran is worried about my taxes. Message to him If you keep building nukes and the material to do so, I will find the money somewhere. I am sure each loyal American will give up a pizza or two to shut your nukes down and send the reactors to hell. Thank you for caring, I care too,you dismantle the phony nuke program. I kind of feel you want to kill me. So I think if push comes to shove we bomb you first.
You'd think that the Rats (formerly the traditional, patriotic Democrat Party) would stop the Iranian government, Al Qaeda, and others from copying their web site documents -- or maybe it's the Rats stealing from them?
"Better Dhimmitude than intestinal fortitude!" That is the message for America from them both. They don't have to copy that from each other.
Correct and only the hapless moronic left has so soon forgotten that the scum attack weakness and fear strength. Remember what happened after Clinton almost succeeded in having Israel hand over to Arafat 95% of what Arafat demanded. Arafat said no, walked away and began the worst terror campaign to date against Israel.
The only reason the savages want to talk is to buy time and the liberals are more then happy to give them all they want.
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