LEAD: Khamenei says Iran will not abandon nuclear programme

Feb 3, 2012, 11:16 GMT

Tehran - Iran will not abandon its nuclear programme despite Western sanctions, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday.

'They say that threats and sanctions are to make Iran retreat from its nuclear programmes, but Iran will not do so,' Khamenei said during Friday prayers in Tehran, referring to sanctions by the United States and the European Union.

The ayatollah said that sanctions in recent years had pushed the country into realizing its own potential, leading to technological progress in several fields including nuclear development, and said the latest sanctions would be no different.

'The threats and sanctions against Iran are against the Iranian people, just because we are an Islamic and independent nation,' said Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters.

The ayatollah disclosed that a written message to him by US President Barack Obama had already been replied to, but did not say whether he had replied personally nor did he disclose the nature of the response.

'The war threats by the United States against Iran are because the Americans are afraid of a dialogue with Iran, as their only logic to reach their aims is war and bloodshed,' Khamenei said.

The leader denied Western claims that Iran was in an economic crisis following the new sanctions and warned that it would find 'the right time' to retaliate to the sanctions and any future military strikes.

He accused the United States and the European Union of trying to expose an 'Islam-phobia' in the world and focusing this phobia on Iran by accusing the country of nuclear misuse and of interfering in the affairs of other countries.

'We are not interfering anywhere but we are not afraid to say that we support any group or country which is against the Zionist regime (Israel),' Khameni said.

'We say the Zionist regime (Israel) is a cancerous tumour and should be removed and it will be removed,' he said, adding that the main enmity by the West against Iran was due to its stance towards Israel.

Iran, which does not acknowledge the sovereignty of the Israeli state and supports anti-Israeli militia groups like the Palestinian group Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon, says Israel its stance against Israel is the main reason behind the nuclear dispute.

Khamenei said that even Arab countries which liberated themselves from dictatorships eventually voted for Islamic parties.