Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on Tuesday that his country would not yield to pressure or threats over its nuclear program, speaking at a public rally in the northeastern city of Bojnurd.
His remarks came one day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution requiring Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and related activities by 31 August or risk facing international sanctions.
Ahmadinejad warned that those relying on intimidation were making a serious error, saying they would eventually learn that lesson "the hard way."
Tehran maintains that its enrichment activities are intended solely to produce civilian reactor fuel, a right it argues is guaranteed under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Critics, however, note that the same technology can be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in August 2006, in its own words.