UN sanctions 'not worth a cent' says Iran's president

Published on Wednesday 12 May 2010 20:18

IRANIAN president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed the threat of new international sanctions, saying any UN resolution punishing Iran for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment "won't be worth a cent".

The United States says it and its allies plan to put forward a Security Council resolution in the next few weeks imposing a fourth round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. Iran has been pushing council members to try to water down support.

In a speech to supporters in Yasouj yesterday, Mr Ahmadinejad warned council members: "If you want to speak with the language of coercion … your resolutions won't be worth a cent. In the near future, you will see that the United States' satanic domination (of the world] will be eliminated."

The West accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and the United Nations has demanded Tehran halt uranium enrichment, which can be used to produce either nuclear fuel or a warhead. Iran says it has a right to pursue enrichment to power reactors to generate electricity.