For the first time, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad acknowledged its nuclear weapons program when dismissing the UNSC resolution imposing limited sanctions against Tehran as a "piece of torn paper" meant to "scare Iranians." He said that it is in "Westerners' interests to live with a nuclear Iran" and that the resolution that rules out military strikes "will not harm Iran and those who backed it will soon regret their superficial act."
Claiming not to be "worries or uncomfortable with the resolution," Ahmadinejad said that his nation will "celebrate" its "atomic achievements in February" raising concerns that Tehran may be testing a nuclear device then. Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani also revealed plans about Iran's "immediate response to the resolution" that it will immediately "begin activities at Natanz" where "3,000 centrifuge machines" will be installed and that Tehran will "drive it with full speed." Iran also threatened to change the level of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) but did not specify what those changes may be.
The Iranian Parliament has also started deliberations on approving a new policy direction with "double urgency." A new bill, passed by Parliament's National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee, may call for a suspension of IAEA inspection of Iran's nuclear sites in complete violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Ahmadinejad had threatened to pull out of the NPT if sanctions are imposed and this measure may be the first step in that direction.
Despite such open defiance, Moscow said that it will continue it cooperation with Iran on both nuclear power generation and defense as it is in its "economic interests" to execute on "signed contracts with Iran." Russia is building a nuclear power station at Bushehr and supplies air defense missile TOR-M1 and S-300 systems. Russia also managed to convince other UNSC members to drop reference to Iran's first nuclear plant it is building and limiting language to non-military curbs on nuclear weapons, enrichment, and heavy water reactors. Western governments had wanted tougher language only to be thwarted by Russia and China for commercial self-interest and Qatar for religious reasons. Finally, all language dealing with military option, international travel restrictions by Iranian nuclear and missile development officials, and specified banned items and technologies were dropped. Therefore, Ahmadinejad's characterization of the UNSC resolution as "torn paper" is not off the mark as it is more of a symbolic gesture than hard-hitting.