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Ahmadinejad Denies Nuclear Trigger Report

   VOA News 22 December 2009

   Iranian   President   Mahmoud  Ahmadinejad  has  dismissed  a  British
   newspaper  report that says Iran is working on a trigger for a nuclear
   bomb.
   In  a  television interview broadcast Monday in the United States - by
   the ABC network - reporter Diane Sawyer offered Mr. Ahmadinejad a copy
   of  a  document  obtained  by  The  Times  of London which purportedly
   contained details of Iran's work on a nuclear initiator.
   The  Iranian  president  waved  the document away and said it had been
   fabricated by the U.S. government.
   An  advisor  to  President  Obama  said  Mr.  Ahmadinejad's  charge is
   nonsense.
   Also  Monday,  the top U.S. military officer said the Pentagon must be
   ready  with  military  options  against  Iran's nuclear program in the
   event the president calls for them.
   Admiral Mike Mullen - the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - said
   he  believes  diplomacy  offers the best chance to resolve the dispute
   over Iran's nuclear program.
   The  admiral  added that military action remains an option but that it
   would have "limited results."
   Western  nations  accuse  Iran  of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon
   under  the  guise  of a civilian nuclear program, but Iran insists its
   program is purely peaceful.
   Tehran's  chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, visited Tokyo Monday
   to  meet  with  senior  officials.   A  Japanese official said Foreign
   Minister  Katsuya  Okada  told  Jalili  he  was  very  concerned about
   Tehran's nuclear program.
   Jalili told reporters that the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima
   during World War II was "a crime" that "must never be repeated."
   U.S.  officials  have said Iran will face consequences from the global
   community  if  it  continues  to rebuff efforts to ensure the peaceful
   application of its nuclear program.

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