2/10/2005 7:00:00 PM GMT
The Iranian President Mohammad Khatami vowed on Thursday a “burning hell” for any attacker as thousands of Iranians rallied to mark the 26th anniversary of the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
Khatami told a crowd in central Tehran that "The Iranian nation does not seek war, does not seek violence and dispute. But the world must know that this nation will not tolerate any invasion,"
"Will this nation allow the feet of an aggressor to touch this land?" Khatami asked at the crowd.
"If, God forbid, it happens, Iran will turn into a scorching hell for the aggressors."
"The whole Iranian nation is united against any threat or attack," he added.
Top Iranian officials called for a huge turnout at the revolution anniversary rallies to send a clear message to the United States which has recently intensified its pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear plans.
On Wednesday, the U.S. President George W. Bush said that a nuclear-armed Iran would be "a very destabilizing force" and called upon other Western countries to cooperate to stop Tehran’s nuclear plans.
Iran denies the U.S. allegations that it is covertly developing an atomic weapons program and insists that its nuclear plans are strictly for civilian purposes.
The Islamic republic also warned to speed up work on its nuclear program if the United States or Israel attacked its atomic facilities.
Khatami said on Wednesday that the Iranian government would never abandon the progress which the country reached in developing “peaceful nuclear technology”.
He also warned that if the talks with the EU fail, then his government will not be committed to the suspension of unranium-enrichment activities.
"If other parties (to the negotiations) are not committed to their promises, we will not be committed to our promises at all," Khatami said.
Also Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Iran must accept a European deal – to fully dismantle its atomic program in exchange for trade and technology benefits – or be referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
Iran's Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani accused the EU and the U.S. of cooperating together to force the Islamic republic to compromise.
"One side is playing a good cop role, while the other side is playing the bad cop in order to put Iran in the throes of the good cop from fear of the bad cop," Shamkhani said.
The demonstrators at Thursday’s annual rally said that Iran shouldn’t retreat in the face of the U.S. threats.
"The U.S. is after an excuse. If we stop atomic technology, they will find another excuse," said Habibollah Hosseini, a 68-year-old Iranian.
"They invaded Iraq although there were no weapons (of mass destruction). The best response to intimidation is unity and power. We are here to show this," he said.