Ahmadinejad defends Iranian elections

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

On the sidelines of an Asian security summit in Turkey today, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the press: “The Islamic Republic is one of the most stable countries of the world because its foundations are set in the hearts of every single Iranian.”

Ahmadinejad, who was re-elected last June amid widespread controversy over alleged fraud in his victory, claimed that Iranian elections belong to the people; “People hold the elections, supervise it and participate in it.”

The controversial 2009 elections were followed by widespread street protests accusing the government of rigging the ballot.

The Islamic Republic has spent the past year cracking down on protesters who took to the streets of Tehran and other major cities in millions to retrieve their votes. Tens of people have been killed and thousands arrested in efforts to silence the peaceful protests.

Ahamdinejad went on to condemn the US and its allies for their recent efforts to achieve more sanctions against Iran through the United Nations.

He added that the basis of the Security Council is “unjust order” because it is the most “undemocratic body” that has been formed in the United Nations.

He condemned the pressures exerted on UN members by powerful countries and said: “We say peaceful nuclear energy for all and the atomic bomb for none.”

Iran has repeatedly denied Western accusations that the Islamic Republic is trying to build nuclear weapons and insists that all its nuclear efforts are for peaceful purposes.

In a new report, the International Atomic Energy Agency has accused Iran of failure to fully cooperate and be transparent with the Agency’s representatives.

The UN Security Council is in the process of approving its fourth set of resolutions to enforce further sanctions against Iran.