Ayat. Kashani: Iran's N-package to foster global peace, security

16 May 2008

Tehran-Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani said Friday that Iran's proposed nuclear package is for restoration of peace and security worldwide.

Ayatollah Kashani said in his second Friday prayers sermon at Tehran University campus that Iran wants nothing but independent and cientific progress.

"Opposition is raised against Iran's peaceful nuclear activities because the country's progress in the field of science will be a menace to goals of the arrogance and the Zionist regime," he said.

Referring to the wide-scale plans of the world of arrogance to counter the world of Islam, Ayatollah Kashani said the world of blasphemy and arrogance has created a strange condition for the world of Islam.

"All these issues are alarming and Muslims should get awakened to understand their conditions," he said.

Touching on recent claims of the US President George W. Bush that Iran is a danger to regional states, Kashani said, "Bush's goal in raising the claims is portraying Iran as an enemy of regional states and make Arabs less sensitive towards the Zionist regime." He said Iran's sincerity and engagement with the world states, especially the regional and Muslim countries, have led to such claims.

He said gestures of some political officials in the world of Islam serve interests of the US and Israel.

"Muslim states are expected to think of their own nations," he declared.

He said Lebanese Hizbollah has been resisting the Zionist regime for years, adding, "(Hizbollah Chief, Sheikh Hassan) Nasrollah's reaping honor and defeating Zionists is a source of honor for the whole Muslim world."

He then said,"To Iran there is no difference between Shiites and Sunnis."

"No matter Shiite or Sunni; if a student is found to win an honor in Saudi Arabia today we in Iran will be proud of the progress in the Muslim state."

He said all Muslims should be proud of Lebanese Hizbollah.

"If Iran has been able to acquire peaceful nuclear energy that's a source of honor for the Muslim world. That will be an honor too if it occurs in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen because it will be the dignity of the world of Islam."

He said Lebanese Hizbollah owes its victory today to unity among all Muslims and Muslims in turn should take such an important issue into consideration.

In his first sermon, Ayatollah Kashani urged whole the Muslim world ulema to safeguard Islam and Quran against different kinds of plots hatched by the world arrogance.