Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made it known that he wants to brief the UN Security Council to defend his country’s nuclear program as the five permanent members of the council are considering imposing new sanctions over the program. Gholamhossein Elham, an Iranian government spokesman said on Sunday, “The president of Iran plans to speak in a possible meeting of the Security Council on Iran’s nuclear program to defend the right of the Iranian nation to use peaceful nuclear technology.”

The news comes days after the International Atomic Energy Agency suspended nearly two dozen nuclear aid programs to Iran as part of UN imposed sanctions. A package of limited sanctions on Iran, including a ban on the transfer of nuclear technology and knowledge, were imposed by the Security Council in December. The council has threatened to take further steps to enforce it’s double standards as Iran failed to meet the February 21 deadline to suspend uranium enrichment.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at producing energy. Iranian officials have previously criticized the Security Council’s hypocrisy in imposing sanctions on Iran but not on Israel. It was verified by PM Olmert in December that Israel is the only state in the Middle East with nuclear weapons. Iran’s UN Ambassador Javad Zarif stated the council should “compel [Israel] to abandon nuclear weapons, urge it to accede to the NPT [nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] without delay and demand this regime to place promptly all its nuclear facilities under IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] full-scope safeguards”.

The US and European countries have instead applied pressure on Iran, alleging that its real aim is to produce nuclear weapons. However, no evidence has emerged which prove such allegations to be true. Both China and Russia are opposed to financial sanctions against Iran.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said; “We believe that if they follow an extreme way it won’t help find a logical and legal solution but we cannot give up our obvious right (to nuclear technology).” Hosseini repeated Iran’s call for negotiations to end the standoff. “We have always suggested that if the other side has any ideas or solutions which are in the framework of regulations and which guarantee Iran’s rights, they can discuss them and the best place for that is the negotiating table.”

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