U.N. Sanctions Resolution 1737 against Iran, adopted December 23, 2006, prohibits any trade relations with Iran that might help advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The resolution further decrees that the financial assets of figures and companies involved in these programs will be frozen. Iran's reaction to the sanctions, as expressed by top officials in the regime, is that Iran will disregard the U.N. resolution and will continue to advance its nuclear program in full force.

The following are some of the main reactions, as published in the Iranian press:

President Ahmadinejad: "Iran Will Be a Nuclear State, Whether They Like It or Not"; "The Iranian Nation Will Give Its Enemies An Historic Slap [in the Face]"

In a December 24, 2006 speech, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that the sanctions would not keep Iran from developing nuclear capabilities: "They [the countries represented in the Security Council] will soon regret their superficial move... [The development of] nuclear fuel cycle technology is [solely] Iran's business; nobody can take this technology away from the Iranian nation. During this year's 10 days of Fajr, the entire Iranian nation will celebrate the nuclear festival... [1] Today, the Iranian nation is more united than ever, and it will resolutely insist on its nuclear rights. Whether they like it or not, Iran is a nuclear state, and [this] benefits those that stand by it...

"[The West] does not want our country to make progress, because they know full well that if we advance [in] nuclear technology, we will also be able to progress more rapidly in other areas by utilizing this technology." [2]

In a January 2, 2007 speech in Khuzestan, Ahmadinejad repeated these statements and added that "[Iran's] enemies will not be able to stand in the way of the aspirations of the Iranian nation, which is going to give them an historic slap [in the face]." In another speech he said: "The nations will soon see the fall of the criminal Zionist regime and America." [3]

Ali Larijani: "Our Immediate Response to These Sanctions is that Tomorrow Morning, 3,000 Centrifuges Will Begin to Operate in Natanz"

In an interview, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, who is in charge of Iran's nuclear dossier, told the Iranian daily Kayhan, which is affiliated with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, that the sanctions would have no impact on Iran's nuclear program, and would only spur Iran towards its goals: "Our immediate response to these sanctions is that tomorrow morning, 3,000 centrifuges will begin to operate in Natanz. We are [continuing] our program at full speed... We have already said, on several occasions, that even if the West decides to use the Security Council as a lever [to exert pressure on Iran], this will have no impact whatsoever on our aspirations; on the contrary, we will only become more determined to accomplish our nuclear goals with all possible speed..." [4]

Foreign Relations Steering Council Member: "The Sanctions Will Have No Impact on Iran's Nuclear Progress"

Foreign Relations Steering Council member Ali Akbar Velayati, who serves as advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said in a December 31, 2006 interview with the conservative Iranian news agency Mehr: "The Security Council resolution, which was passed under American and British influence in order to exert pressure on Iran, has no impact on Iran's nuclear progress... Passing this anti-Iranian resolution was not an unexpected [move on the part of] the Security Council... but the important point is that the fate of Iran's nuclear program, which is intended for peaceful purposes, [will be determined] domestically, and has nothing to do with anyone else's decision... These sanctions will not keep Iran from continuing the nuclear-technological process, and from completing the research; [in fact], they make the nation and the regime [even] more determined in this respect." [5]

Chairman of Iran's Parliamentary Committee for National Security and Foreign Policy: "The 3,000 Centrifuges Will Very Soon Be Put into Operation"

Iran's Parliamentary Committee for National Security and Foreign Policy chairman 'Alaa Al-Din Boroujerdi announced that the sanctions resolution would not adversely affect the progress of Iran's nuclear development. Rather, he said, it would accelerate it: "Not only does the sanctions resolution not help the West's goal [to stop Iran's nuclear program], it has brought about an acceleration of Iran's nuclear activity. As stated in the [Foreign Ministry] statement, 3,000 centrifuges will very soon be put into operation, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme National Security Council…" [6]

In addition, Boroujerdi said that "at a joint meeting next week of the three councils - National Security, Energy, and Industry - the construction of a nuclear facility relying on local know-how will undergo a final assessment… All the stages, starting from finding uranium and extracting it up to converting it to energy, are today being carried out by the country's native-born experts… The entire regime stands firm in a determined decision on this issue. The American threat, which began 20 years ago, to [bring about a] boycott [of] the Iranian nation by exploiting its weight in the Security Council, will have no effect on the national aspiration and goal." [7]

Revolutionary Guards Political Bureau Head: "Iran is Entering the Nuclear Club"

In a January 1, 2007 article in the weekly Sobh-e Sadeq, which is the mouthpiece of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei among the Revolutionary Guards, Revolutionary Guards Political Bureau head General Yadallah Javani stated that Iran was entering the nuclear club after it chose not to surrender to the West's pressures:

"…Any country that wants to be independent and to ensure its rights and its interest must rely on its capabilities and stand firm in the face of [international] pressures, through [national] unity and solidarity. [This is] the path that the Iranian nation and regime have now chosen in the nuclear conflict. The Iranian nation is now acquiring know-how and technology, and is entering the nuclear club. Given its national strength, [it can] stand firm against the pressures and against the weakness of the enemies. [Therefore] there is no reason… to surrender to the threats of those who speak the language of force." [8]

Another article on the sanctions in the same issue of Sobh-e Sadeq read: "…Without a doubt, Iran's going nuclear will change the balance of power in the region and will make Iran an influential and active player, such that the regional superpowers have understood that the management of the Middle East's regional system will evade them, and that a great part of the region will come under the moral influence of Iran's Islamic Revolution…" [9]

Sobh-e Sadeq: "Iran Can, and Must… Continue Its Nuclear Program with Greater Resolve and Vigor"

In a December 23, 2006 editorial, Sobh-e Sadeq stated that sanctions would not prevent Iran from attaining nuclear technology, as Iran had already passed the difficult stage in the development of its nuclear program, and thus would continue to its completion without hesitating:

"In light of the elections [for the Assembly of Experts and the municipal councils] that were held December 15, 2006… and that reflected the national support and the [mighty] military strength that relies on the popular backing of the nation itself, Iran can and must [adopt] a firmer stance, and continue its nuclear program with greater resolve and vigor… It should be noted that Iran has gone through the difficult passages alone, and that the present situation is no graver than the path that has [already] been traversed. Thus, [we] should continue on the path with wisdom and perspicacity, and without hesitation, until [we] achieve the final result." [10]

Revolutionary Guards: The Imposition of Sanctions is Illegitimate

A statement released by the Revolutionary Guards on December 25, 2006 said: "[The sanctions resolution] is a step lacking in any kind of international legitimacy… The Revolutionary Guards will not allow any council to do even the least bit of harm to Iran. The enemies of this nation know that any kind of encroachment on their part will receive a resounding answer from the Iranian nation… The straw powers must accept the undeniable reality that in today's world, there is a rising power that is challenging their baseless ideologies." [11]

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamedani: "We Will Under No Condition Freeze Our Scientific Activities for Peaceful Purposes"

In a December 24, 2006 meeting with senior officers of the Revolutionary Guards land and naval forces, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri-Hamedani, one of the Iranian regime's senior religious authorities, said that Iran would continue in its concerted effort to acquire nuclear technology. Following are excerpts from Kayhan's report on the meeting:

"Ayatollah Hossein Nouri-Hamedani described the decision of the U.N. Security Council as oppressive and unacceptable… He said: 'Unfortunately, when the U.N. Security Council looked into Iran's nuclear dossier, it left justice and rectitude behind and adopted a resolution under American pressure… We are courageously and without any fear of [these] threats continuing our activities in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes… The U.N. Security Council has lost its independence, [and so] Iran no longer recognizes the resolutions of this council, which are adopted under the influence and pressure of other countries… We see our nuclear attainments for peaceful purposes as our absolute right, and we will never implement the resolutions of the Security Council…" [12]

Jomhouri-ye Eslami: "We Can… Be the Final Victors In This Battle"

A December 27, 2006 editorial in the Jomhouri-ye Eslami daily, which is close to the religious seminaries in Qom, said that the unity of Iran's ranks will bring about its final victory in the battle for its right to develop nuclear capability:

"…Now is the time for all of us to fight together in order to defeat the [sanctions resolution] of the enemies of the Iranian nation. We must all… lay aside the issue of the elections… and support [our] leaders. People in positions of authority, political activists, and the various sectors of the people must unquestioningly obey the leader's [i.e. Khamenei's] orders, and must prefer the general interest over anything else… The enemy's threats are still hollow… We can, through reliance on unity of the ranks, return to the [negotiating] table without accepting the enemy's conditions, and [thus] be the final victors in this battle." [13]

Kayhan: "The Partial Price That We Are Paying is Nothing Compared With What We Will Achieve"

In a December 28, 2006 editorial, Kayhan said that the price that Iran was paying because of the sanctions resolution was unimportant in comparison with the nuclear technology that would ultimately be attained: "…More than 80% of the sanctions resolution… is psychological, [a tactic of] which Westerners are very fond… Resolution 1737 focuses only on Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile program, and does not address any issue not connected with these programs. Even where it addresses travel restrictions on individuals, or the confiscation of bank accounts, it means only individuals or bank accounts connected to the nuclear program or the ballistic missile program, and has nothing to do with other aspects of Iran's relations with the nations of the world… In the end, the threats will not be so grave, and the partial price that we are paying is nothing compared with what we will achieve." [14]