Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday said Tehran would not retreat "one iota" on its nuclear works. He was speaking after meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who arrived for a two-day visit to Tehran.
In a statement published on the Iranian president's website, Ahmadinejad said: "In whichever negotiation we take part... it is unequivocally with the view to the realisation of Iran's nuclear right, and the Iranian nation would not retreat one iota from its rights." He said that international agreements meant Iran, like every other country, had the right to engage in uranium enrichment and possess nuclear power stations.
Al-Assad arrived in Tehran for talks that an official said would include the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions. Assad flew into the capital's Mehrabad international airport and was driven straight to the meeting with Ahmadinejad.
Iranian state-run television reported that in talks lasting more than an hour, "both sides emphasised the importance of Iranian-Syrian cooperation which is aimed at consolidating stability and security in the region."
