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Summary Iran does not take seriously Israeli threats of attack, but is prepared to defend itself.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that Israel has no roots in the history of the Middle East and would be eliminated.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted Israel could strike Irans nuclear sites and has criticized U.S. President Barack Obamas position that sanctions and diplomacy should be given more time to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.Iran denies that it is seeking nuclear arms and says its atomic work is peaceful, aimed at generating electricity.Fundamentally we do not take seriously the threats of the Zionists. We have all the defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves, Ahmadinejad told reporters in New York, where he is due to attend the U.N. General Assembly.While we are fully ready to defend ourselves, we do no take such threats seriously, he said, speaking through an interpreter.Ahmadinejad alluded to his previous rejection of Israels right to exist. Iran has been around for the last seven, 10 thousand years.They (the Israelis) have been occupying those territories for the last 60 to 70 years, with the support and force of the Westerners. They have no roots there in history, he said.The modern state of Israel was founded in 1948.We do believe that they have found themselves at a dead end and they are seeking new adventures in order to escape this dead end. Iran will not be damaged with foreign bombs, Ahmadinejad said, referring to Israel.We dont even count them as any part of any equation for Iran. During a historical phase, they represent minimal disturbances that come into the picture and are then eliminated, Ahmadinejad added.In 2005, Ahmadinejad called Israel a tumor and echoed the words of the former Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, by saying that Israel should be wiped off the map.Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a brigadier general in Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was quoted on Sunday as saying that Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state was preparing to attack it.Ahmadinejad said the nuclear issue was one ultimately between the United States and Iran, and must be resolved with negotiations.The nuclear issue is not a problem. But the approach of the United States on Iran is important. We are ready for dialogue, for a fundamental resolution of the problems, but under conditions that are based on fairness and mutual respect, he said.We are not expecting a 33-year-old problem between the United States and Iran to be resolved in a speedy fashion. But there is no other way besides dialogue.
