Iran studying Putin’s nuclear proposal: Larijani

October 18, 2007 - 0:0

TEHRAN - Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a “special proposal” on Iran’s nuclear program which is currently under study, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said here on Wednesday.


Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with ideological-political members of the Islamic Republic Army, Larijani said the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also said that the proposal is “ponderable.”

Iranian officials held constructive talks with the Russian president over the launch of Bushehr nuclear power plant on the sidelines of Caspian Sea littoral states summit held in Tehran on Tuesday, he said, adding that the station will be inaugurated in the near future.

Commenting on the country’s nuclear negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Larijani said that Iran has taken significant steps in cooperation with the IAEA and is currently implementing the agreed modality plan, Larijani insisted.

Under the Aug. 21 deal, Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed on a timetable for addressing the remaining ambiguities about Iran’s nuclear activities. The IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei called the agreement ""an important step in the right direction.""

“Our main job is with the agency”, Larijani reiterated, adding that the IAEA inspectors are due in Tehran in coming days.

The top security official told reporters that he is to hold talks with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana next week to discuss the remaining issues in regard to the country’s nuclear activities.

Asked about the U.S. political moves in the Middle East, Larijani replied that Washington has adopted a “wild diplomacy” towards Iran.

“Mercenary and mindless” American troops in Iraq have turned into a source of trouble for the United States, said the official, adding that “mercenary armies cannot do great jobs”.

He described the Islamic Republic army as a significant national asset, adding that Iranian troops have merged “the jihadi spirit with wisdom”.

He stated that in an “asymmetrical war, the side possessing both jihadi belief and military skill will take the initiative.”

Through its presence in the Middle East, the U.S. aims to maintain the security of Israel and its allies and take control of the region’s energy resources, Larijani observed.

The United States has built 70 military bases in the Horn of Africa, Turkey, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Iraq, he said, adding that Mideast democratization theory is decorated by media diplomacy.

Lebanon’s victory in the 33-day resistance against Israel clearly proves the U.S. plans for the Middle East have failed, he observed.

""The New Middle East’s birth pangs will lead to a miscarriage,” Larijani said in direct reference to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s remarks that had likened the Israeli war against Lebanon last year to ""the birth pangs of a new Middle East"".