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Iran Continues To Ramp Up Tensions

Just days after hailing an opportunity to restart "serious negotiations" over Iran`s nuclear program, top Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani Sunday said his nation has no intention of halting its efforts to obtain nuclear technology. State-run Iranian radio quoted Larijani as saying, "Production of nuclear fuel is our strategic aim."

The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohammad Reza Baqheri, followed that statement up, by telling the official Iranian news agency they will "never" halt uranium enrichment, a key step towards building a nuclear weapon. The defiant statements came after the US and top European powers signaled displeasure with Tehran`s written response to international demands regarding its nuclear program, and suggested economic sanctions could be just around the corner.

Iran`s recent posturing against the West and UN continued with the successful test-firing of a "top speed long-range sub-to-surface missile off the Persian Gulf," according to General Sajjad Kouchaki, head of Iran`s navy, who spoke on state television over the weekend. Israeli lawmaker Ephraim Sneh said in a statement to reporters that the hostile indicators obligated his nation to "prepare itself militarily" for conflict with a nation whose leadership has repeatedly called for the eradication of the Jewish state.