10 August 2006
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has renewed calls on Muslims to rally to the defense of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah in its war against Israel, Iranian state television reported. "Today it is the entire Muslim community's duty to defend Hezbollah," Khamenei told a meeting to mark the anniversary of the birth of the Shiites' first imam, Ali. Iran helped to create and arm Hezbollah in 1982 in response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon, and Tehran stands accused by the United States and Israel of fomenting chaos in the region by channeling weapons to the guerrillas, AFP stated. Iran denies the allegation, saying it provides only moral support to the movement. Khamenei's comments came as Arab ministers were due to plead Lebanon's case in New York before the UN Security Council, which is debating a draft French-US resolution calling on Israel and Hezbollah to stop the fighting which has raged for the past month. The Iranian leader lashed out at the United Nations for what he called its "incompetence", and also attacked some Arab countries, saying that "Some Arabic states that have kept quiet should know that the United States will never consider their interests." Khamenei also accused the US and Britain on Tuesday of encouraging the "Zionists' crimes" and "seeking to eradicate Islam in this region".
Meanwhile, the German news magazine "Der Spiegel" reports in its online edition that despite denials from Tehran Iran is secretly pursuing plans to enrich uranium by using of laser technology. "Der Spiegel" quotes a Russian nuclear engineer who claims that since March 2004 Iran was receiving expertise from Russian authorities for a program to develop a "laser system to separate isotopes".
Read about the WJC's compaign for international condemnation of President Ahmadinejad
