Iran will stun the West with ‘punch’, says spiritual leader
IRAN’S supreme leader said the country will deliver a “punch” that will stun the West to mark tomorrow’s 31st anniversary of its Islamic Revolution.
In an address to air force leaders, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: “The Iranian nation, with its unity and God’s grace, will punch the arrogance [Western powers] on the 22nd of Bahman [February 11] in a way that will leave them stunned.”
Khamenei, the country’s spiritual leader, was speaking at an event to celebrate the air force’s role in toppling the Shah in 1979 and paving the way for Ayatollah Khomeini to take over. His inflammatory words came as the US called for new sanctions on Iran for expanding its nuclear fuel programme.
Yesterday, US defence secretary Robert Gates said he hoped to have a fourth UN Security Council resolution imposing severe trade restrictions on Iran.
On Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad enraged the West when he told his nuclear scientists to make higher grade uranium.
Yesterday, the regime announced it had begun to refine uranium to 20 per cent purity. Higher grade fuel has both civilian and military uses.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded immediate action against Iran while Mr Gates said he hoped a UN Security Council resolution would come about within weeks, rather than months.