Iranians Skating on Thin Ice

In response to recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said on Saturday that compensating for "some mistakes" and lifting "some sanctions," that were imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran for "no reason," would not convince his nation to stop seeking its rights in the area of nuclear technology.

Some sanctions, he said, including the prohibition on the sales of spare parts for civilian aircraft, should never have been imposed on Iran in the first place, and that the lifting such a sanction is "no incentive at all."

And he added that [for sovereign states, admission to the World Trade Organization is one of the most undeniable rights.

Asefi stated that by disseminating lies and inaccurate theories, and claiming that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, the United States has deceived the European Union, while Iran's nuclear activities have always been transparent, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency has also acknowledged the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear program.

"Hypocrisy and duplicity constitute the core of U.S. foreign policy, and this has caused a global distrust of the United States. While Ms. Condoleezza Rice speaks of lifting some sanctions, George W. Bush extends economic sanctions on Iran," he noted.

Asefi said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to make use of civilian nuclear technology, and that no type of pressure or threat could force Iran to stop seeking its rights.

But Sirus Nasseri, a senior Iranian negotiator taking part in nuclear talks with the European Union, dismissed the U.S. move, saying "it is too ridiculous to be called an offer," and calling it," a mere gesture."

We've got an even more interesting gesture for you, down with Iran and up US. These guys will have to be dealt with very, very soon.