Iran raises the ante

Following talks of a UN sanction on Iran, the Islamic republic has fired its own salvo - oil prices will rise if sanctions are imposed.

Iran is the fourth largest oil producer in the world. It has said that its nuclear program is for energy production only, but many observers are not so sure given Iran has one of the world's biggest reserves of oil. They say Iran wants too build nuclear weapons.

That would bring about dangerous situation in the ever volatile middle east. Israel will never allow that to happen in order to protect itself.

Iran too has not been kind to its Jewish neighbours. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year called for the Jewish state to be wiped out of the face of the earth.

And yesterday, Iran said it would host a special scientific conference to examine evidence supporting the World War II Holocaust which President Ahmadinejad has described as a "myth".

The days ahead are surely going to be busy at the UN as the western powers are trying to garner sufficient support for sanctions against Tehran, with Russia pledging support to the US.

President Bush meanwhile has said Iran with nuclear power will pose "a grave threat to the security of the world". These are his same words he used before launching the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

And two Amercian senators - the powerful Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Evan Bayh - have started the ball rolling by saying that a military option was NOT out of the question.

We await more developments. Maybe things will get much worse in the next week or so.

In the meantime, below are some pearls from the Iranian president, courtesy of BBC.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS
"A nation which has culture, logic and civilisation does not need nuclear weapons. The countries which seek nuclear weapons are those which want to solve all problems by the use of force. Our nation does not need such weapons."

NUCLEAR RESEARCH
"We are asked why we have started [nuclear] research. We answer that there is no limitation to research. There are no limits imposed on research in NPT [Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty] or in the Additional Protocol. Nor have we made such a commitment. Research is necessary for the life and dynamism of a nation."

THE UNITED NATIONS
"The UN Security Council has been set up for the world security. Is the UN Security
Council a mere tool in their [Western powers] hands to use at their will - threatening to send our case to the UN if we refuse to comply with their demands? Our understanding is that the UN Security Council belongs to all nations and is not a tool for a few countries. Why do they use it for their own purpose?"

ISRAEL
"As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

THE HOLOCAUST
"They have created a myth today that they call the massacre of Jews and they consider it a principle above God, religions and the prophets."

IRANIAN POWER
"The Iranian nation is a learned nation. It is a civilised nation. It is a history-making nation... You know and we know: you need us far more than we need you."

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