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Iran vows 'iron fist' against U.S.
By: Mackenzie Weinger
Iran vows 'iron fist' against U.S. - Mackenzie Weinger - POLITICO.com
November 10, 2011 11:22 AM EST
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday said if the United States or Israel is considering a strike against his country’s nuclear facilities, they should expect a “strong slap and an iron fist,” according to a report.
Khamenei issued his threat to the U.S. and Israel during an address to military officers in Tehran, The Associated Press reported. He gave his speech two days after the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency released its report warning that Iran is on its way to building a nuclear weapon.
“The enemies, particularly the United States and its pawns and the Zionist regime, should know that the Iranian nation does not seek to invade any country or nation,” Khamenei said, according to the AP. “But Iran will strongly respond to any invasion or attack with such power and in a way that the aggressors and invaders will be smashed from the inside.”
Khamenei added that Iran is “not a nation that only sits and watches threats coming from straw powers, which are internally eaten by worms.”
In response to Khamenei’s promise of “an iron fist,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday that Iran “should live up to its international obligations.”
“There will be next steps, but I’m not prepared to announce them today,” Carney said. “We will enhance the pressure, enhance the isolation and Iran will feel that.”
Carney added that the U.S. is pursuing a diplomatic channel in dealing with Iran.
And on Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would not back down “an iota” from its nuclear program, the AP wrote.
By: Mackenzie Weinger
Iran vows 'iron fist' against U.S. - Mackenzie Weinger - POLITICO.com
November 10, 2011 11:22 AM EST
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday said if the United States or Israel is considering a strike against his country’s nuclear facilities, they should expect a “strong slap and an iron fist,” according to a report.
Khamenei issued his threat to the U.S. and Israel during an address to military officers in Tehran, The Associated Press reported. He gave his speech two days after the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency released its report warning that Iran is on its way to building a nuclear weapon.
“The enemies, particularly the United States and its pawns and the Zionist regime, should know that the Iranian nation does not seek to invade any country or nation,” Khamenei said, according to the AP. “But Iran will strongly respond to any invasion or attack with such power and in a way that the aggressors and invaders will be smashed from the inside.”
Khamenei added that Iran is “not a nation that only sits and watches threats coming from straw powers, which are internally eaten by worms.”
In response to Khamenei’s promise of “an iron fist,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday that Iran “should live up to its international obligations.”
“There will be next steps, but I’m not prepared to announce them today,” Carney said. “We will enhance the pressure, enhance the isolation and Iran will feel that.”
Carney added that the U.S. is pursuing a diplomatic channel in dealing with Iran.
And on Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would not back down “an iota” from its nuclear program, the AP wrote.