Iran brought 'global powers to their knees' over N-plan

Tehran: The Iranian president said on Wednesday Iran's determination to continue its disputed nuclear programme had brought major powers "to their knees".
In another defiant speech ahead of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran due tomorrow, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would ignore calls by major powers to halt sensitive nuclear work that has led to two rounds of UN sanctions.
"The Iranian nation will not allow any power to trample even on its smallest [national] right," he said in a televised address to a rally in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.
As well as worrying the West, Ahmadinejad's uncompromising speeches have stoked concerns among moderate politicians in Iran ahead of a March parliamentary election.
Former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who is running for a parliament seat, said in remarks published yesterday he had quit the post of negotiator over "differences on management mechanism" with Ahmadinejad. He did not elaborate.
The UN nuclear watchdog report was expected to be out tomorrow.
IAEA chief Mohammad Al Baradei has cited "good progress" in resolving outstanding issues although diplomats said the inquiry looked unlikely to be completed by tomorrow.
UN Security Council members will scrutinise the details in his report before finalising a draft for a third and broader round of sanctions, which is now being considered.
"The Iranian nation will to continue nuclear work has won over the will of big powers ... [and] brought them to their knees," said Ahmadinejad, to chants from the crowd of "Death to America" and "Nuclear energy is our obvious right".
"Today [IAEA], which is legally in charge of this case, has prepared a report and announced that Iran's activities are legal and there is no diversion," Ahmadinejad said. "Big powers should respect the agency and its findings."
IAEA has clarified a series of issues under a transparency deal reached with Larijani last August.
Larijani told the Financial Times that Iran had responded to IAEA to show the country's nuclear plans were peaceful. "We have finished answering all their ... questions," he said.
But a senior diplomat close to IAEA said the last and toughest issue remained under discussion - alleged links under military supervision between uranium processing, high explosives tests and design work on missile warheads.
Diplomats said they did not expect this file, also known as "weaponisation" of nuclear materials, to be resolved by the time of IAEA report.
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