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Iran Complains to UN About Clinton Comment
By Claudia Parsons
Reuters
Wednesday 30 April 2008
United Nations - Iran complained to the United Nations on Wednesday
about US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's comment the United States
could "totally obliterate" Iran in retaliation for a nuclear strike
against Israel.
Iran's deputy ambassador to the United Nations sent a letter to UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon and the president of the Security Council expressing Iran's
condemnation of "such a provocative, unwarranted and irresponsible statement."
Clinton made the remarks last week while campaigning for the Democratic presidential
nomination. The New York senator said she wanted to make clear to Tehran what
she was prepared to do if she becomes president in the hope that this warning
would deter any Iranian nuclear attack against the Jewish state.
"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack
Iran (if it attacks Israel)," Clinton said in an interview on ABC's "Good
Morning America."
"In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching
an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them," she
said.
"That's a terrible thing to say but those people who run Iran need to
understand that because that perhaps will deter them from doing something that
would be reckless, foolish and tragic," Clinton said.
Iran, which Washington and its allies charge is seeking nuclear arms, has voiced
war-like rhetoric in recent years amid speculation its nuclear facilities could
face U.S. or Israeli military action.
Tehran denies it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons and says it needs nuclear
technology to generate electricity.
Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons but, as part of a policy
of "strategic ambiguity," has not confirmed or denied the nature of
its arsenal.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outraged the international community
in 2005 by saying "Israel should be wiped off the map."
In the letter dated April 30, Deputy Ambassador Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi said he
wanted to reiterate Iran's rejection of all weapons of mass destruction including
nuclear weapons.
"Moreover, I wish to reiterate my government's position that the Islamic
Republic of Iran has no intention to attack any other nations," he said.
"Nonetheless .... Iran would not hesitate to act in self-defense to respond
to any attack against the Iranian nation and to take appropriate defensive measures
to protect itself."
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