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Iranian president: â€œUN resolutions are like a used handkerchief that should be thrown in the waste binâ€

10 June 2010 07:43 (UTC +04:00)

He said Iran would continue its nuclear work and warned it may reduce cooperation with the United Nations nuclear agency. â€œSanctions are falling on us from the left and the right. For us they are the same as pesky flies... These (U.N.) resolutions have no value...it is like a used handkerchief that should be thrown in the waste bin. We have patience and we will endure throughout all of thisâ€, said the Iranian president.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said new sanctions would hinder the Iranâ€™s nuclear plans. â€œThe new sanctions sends a "message to the entire Iranian leadership, which is quite diverse in their assessments and reactions, that there is still an opportunity for you to participate" in negotiations. Our goal is not to sanction Iran. Our goal is to end any doubts and questions about the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program and to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and that is a goal that is widely embraced in the international community. The new U.N. sanctions, which set new measures against banks and companies believed to be involved in Iran’s nuclear program, would be effective and might ultimately bring Tehran into real negotiations. We can, we believe, slow down and certainly interfere with and make much more difficult their continuing nuclear program through these sanctions. At the same time, we do want them back at the negotiating table. We’re open to effective diplomacyâ€.