Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has returned to the UN once again to defend his country's position regarding its nuclear programme. His trip was preceded with strong (and reckless) comments he made over the weekend that his country's military would strike back against anyone targeting Iran's nuclear facilities.
Ahmadinejad went so far as to say his armed forces would "break his hand before he pulls the trigger" of anyone who commits an offence against Iran. This kind of language could have long term implications; it certainly creates tension and contributes to further instability of the region. Furthermore, it is making everyone nervous.
Ahmadinejad's comments are not going unnoticed inside his country either. There is now rising opposition to his handling of foreign policy and state relations, most notably from former president Mohammad Khatami, who recently criticised Ahmadinejad for having aggressive and sharp slogans which "play into the enemy's hands to hurt the country and the system."
While the Islamist Republic has the right to acquire civilian nuclear energy, it should do so with utmost transparency and cooperation.
Recently, it has come to the surface through an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report that Iran was stalling a UN investigation into its disputed nuclear programme by refusing to grant access to documents, individuals and sites.
This despite three rounds of UN Security Council sanctions. Talk of imposing new sanctions on Iran is ripe now although Russia and China are resisting the move. It wouldn't be in Iran's interest to continue with its show of defiance.
The Iranian leadership must clear up allegations being brought against it by the IAEA that it had been involved in studies to make a nuclear warhead.
It must grant the necessary access to international bodies and lastly, it must keep in mind that damaging rhetoric only makes matters worse for Iran as well as the rest of the region.
