Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used his address to the UN General Assembly on 19 September 2006 to sharply criticize the United States and Britain, accusing both countries of exploiting the world body to advance their own interests.
Ahmadinejad insisted that Iran's nuclear activities were fully peaceful and conducted under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, questioning why his country faced objections to what he described as its legally recognized rights.
He accused some Security Council members of having used nuclear technology for weapons purposes and, in at least one case, deploying those weapons against civilian populations. He argued that permanent members with their own disputes in play routinely wield the council as a threat against adversaries.
The Iranian leader challenged the legitimacy of the Security Council itself, asking which UN body could hold the US or Britain accountable if they violated international law. He contended the council could not be effective unless it operated in a transparent and democratic fashion on behalf of all nations.
Iran had at that point refused a Security Council demand to halt uranium enrichment, maintaining that its program served entirely civilian purposes.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.