Khamenei warns West on “negative impact” on relations; Brown: The outcome of the Iranian election was “a matter for the Iranian people”; Obama denies US has given Israel a green light to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Western governments of a “negative impact” on relations over what he termed their meddling in Iran’s post-election riots. He once again emphasized his support for president-elect Ahmadinejad and termed his re-election a “lasting and pure truth.” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his part stressed that the Iranian authorities should understand that Britain will act along with its European partners in dealing with the situation arising out of the detainment of 9 British Embassy staff. Brown also stated that the outcome of the Iranian election was “a matter for the Iranian people1.” French President Nicolas Sarkozy on his part stated that his country supported Britain amidst rising tensions with Iran over the elections unrest, while President Obama and Vice President Biden stated that the post-election unrest in Iran would not deter them from seeking to engage the country’s top leadership in direct negotiations2.

    President Obama, in an interview with the CNN, strongly denied that the US had given Israel a green light to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. He added that the US can not “dictate to other countries what their security interests are3.“

    Iran’s Expediency Council has ratified a parliamentary bill which prohibits Guardian Council members from holding other official posts. The Majlis previously ratified the bill but the GC had rejected it. The bill states that GC members must resign from all other posts in the next two months or they will be dismissed from the GC. The decision was being seen as important on account of earlier complains that some GC members who hold other posts may be biased in favor of or against certain political factions in parliamentary or presidential elections4.

    In other developments, India’s Petroleum Ministry announced that it would reconsider its position on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline as it seeks to “develop a common understanding of the project and to evolve (an) agreement on the path ahead amongst the stakeholders5.” Earlier concerns that were a factor in the decision to not proceed with the project included the quantity of domestic gas reserves like the Krishna-Godavari field, pipeline security and gas-pricing mechanisms.

    Top