Subscribe Today
Request a Clip
The following are excerpts from a speech given by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which aired on IRINN, the Iranian news channel, on December 22, 2009.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Let me tell you – so that they will hear me and will know: I have appointed several people to assess the damage incurred during World War I and Iran's occupation by Britain. We will submit an official document to the UN, and demand [compensation], and with the support of the people, we will yank the compensation right out of their throats.
Crowd: Allah Akbar
Allah Akbar
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Several nights ago, in Denmark, an American reporter came to interview me. At the beginning of the interview, she took out a bunch of papers, and said: "Mr. Ahmadinejad, these documents, uncovered by the US administration, indicate that the Iranian government is producing an atomic bomb. What do you have to say?" I said to her: My dear lady, the things you are saying have become, for our people, a recurring tasteless joke. Our people are getting nauseous from the things you are saying. She said: "This is a document that has been made public. The US intelligence agencies exposed it." I demonstrated my lack of interest. She said: "Don't you want to see it?" I said: There is no point for me to look at it. Then I asked her: What role does the US play in the world, that it [dares] to express an opinion abut Iran?
Crowd: Death to America
Death to America
[...]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: They say: We gave Iran a deadline of the end of 2009. I said: Who the hell are they? We are the ones who set them a deadline. If they do not change their conduct, their attitude, and their rhetoric, we will demand from them all the historical rights of the Iranian people.
[...]
They think to themselves that the Iranian people and government have weakened and that we know this. Some fiends gave them this report, saying that the Iranian government and the Iranian people have weakened, and that this is the time to exert pressure. We do not welcome dispute and confrontation, but you should know that today the Iranian people and government are ten times stronger than they were a year ago.
Crowd: Allah Akbar
Allah Akbar
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: I said: You are doing things that bring us to the point that we have to sue you. If we announce one day that we want something from you, like compensation for World War I, about which we informed you... You should know that if we make a statement, we never back down, and we will get [compensation], down to the very last penny.
Crowd: Allah Akbar
Allah Akbar
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: The second point I made was: It would be good if the leaders of the US and its friends had the courage to say things clearly. We are an honest and courageous people. We say what we have to say candidly and honestly. We told you we would operate the fuel cycle – and we did. We told you we would produce fuel on an industrial [scale] – and we have done so. We told you we are not afraid of resolutions and sanctions – and we weren't afraid. We told you we would incorporate the new type of centrifuge into the cycle – and we are doing it.
You should know that if we wanted to produce a bomb, we are man enough and brave enough to declare that we want to produce an atomic bomb, without being afraid of you.
Crowd: Allah Akbar
Allah Akbar
Latest Clips
