Ahmadinejad Lashes Out Against Embargo

Defense Secretary Robert Gates explained last week that weapons and trade sanctions by the U.S. and U.N. against Iran were hurting it even more than expected. But Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad forcefully denied it on Thursday, telling the West that “if they want to talk to us using old methods, then they must know that the results of negotiations will remain the same.” He added: "Iran won't be scared by embargoes." On a more encouraging note, Ahmadinejad did say that Iran would return to six-party discussions about its atomic energy program. The West believes it is geared at building nuclear weapons, while Iran maintains its only purpose is energy. Still, he warned that Russia, the US, Britain, France, China and Germany would have to ease up on Iran if they expect any results when they meet on Dec. 5. "If they want their negotiations to be successful, they must reject their exploitative approach," Ahmadinejad said.