Tehran's substitute Friday Prayers Leader Ahmad Khatami said here Friday December 23 the Iranian nation will defend its inalienable nuclear rights to last drop of its blood.

Addressing thousands of worshipers at Tehran University campus, Khatami said that Westerners should know that in the case of Iran's nuclear energy, they are not facing a party and wing, rather they are encountered by a nation which has risen up to defend its inalienable rights to the last drop of its blood.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran's logic on all subjects is based on 'do not make any injustice and do not be oppressed'; we neither make an injustice nor seek any special concession; we will not surrender to oppression," said Khatami in his second sermon to multitudes of Friday prayers congregation as he was referring to resumption of the Iran-EU3 nuclear talks in Vienna on Wednesday December 21.

"Iran has commitments and rights based on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acknowledges that Iran has been acting on its commitments... Iran has rights in the NPT which will not compromise them even slightly," said Khatami, who has newly been appointed by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei as substitute Friday prayers leader of Tehran.

Referring to Article four of the NPT, he said, "Based on this article, the signatories can acquire peaceful nuclear technology including power plants.

"Westerners should be concerned over Israel which according to a former Israeli technician has 200 nuclear warheads."

Khatami added that the West should fear the Zionist regime which occupied Muslims' land unjustly and does not intend to withdraw from there at all.

"On Palestine, Iran's words are accepted by the world. Iran believes each Palestinian has the right to vote. The nation should decide its fate by voting. Why an occupier group should rule the Muslims' land?"

The substitute leader pointed to accusations leveled by the West against Iran on human rights violation in the country, saying, "The Westerners once again raised the old human rights charges against Islamic Iran on threshold of new nuclear talks.

"Such allegations are levelled by those in whose country injustice prompted people to stage riots," said Khatami.

"You are on frontline of human rights violation and accuse Iran," added Khatami in an address to Western states.

He added that conditions in the Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prisons mark a dark stain for the United States, saying, "This country can never remove such a stain from its government."

"They claim human rights are violated in Iran while in the US eavesdropping is ordered; the West and US are trying to abuse human rights; observation of human rights is in the context of Islam and we consider ourselves as pioneers of human rights," said the top cleric.

He said Iran's constitution stresses observation of human rights and the Islamic Republic of Iran has never been considering flagrancy as human rights. "Spread of flagrancy is an instance of human rights violation," he added.

The member of the Presiding Board of the Assembly of Experts described Friday prayers as "the tableau of the Islamic government."

He assessed as "positive" the efforts of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying his government has five valuable approaches.

He referred to Islam-seeking and meritocracy as two sublime features of the first approach, with the second approach having such distinctions as justice-seeking, efforts for administration of justice, support for the poor, as especially indicated by his excellency's tours to the deprived regions, and the "active and dynamic" policy of the president and his cabinet.

"The president's brave stances against the world of arrogance is among other positive approaches of him."

Khatami expressed hope that the government would be stable and strong and the nation would witness positive achievements of President Ahmadinejad's government.

He pointed to recent parliamentary elections in Iraq and said, "Today, the Iraqi nation witnesses a landslide victory. This brave nation is deserved to taste such a big victory."
 
The substitute Friday Prayers leader added that Islamists gained 140 seats in recent parliamentary elections in Iraq, saying, "This is while the US did its utmost to prevent such an event."

He said insult to Grand Ayatollah Sistani and visits by the US and British officials to Iraq were among measures that occupiers adopted to reverse Iraq's election results.

Khatami stressed the importance of the occupiers' withdrawal from Iraq and said the elections had no message but people favoring Islam and virtues.

 Friday Prayers-Ahmad Khatami