Ahmadinejad says Iran has increased nuclear activity, Khamenei calls for unity

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Wednesday that Iran currently has "11,000 centrifuges active in enrichment facilities”.    

During his meeting with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian president suggested that Iran has increased its nuclear activity despite the harsh sanctions imposed on it.

In turn, Iran's supreme leader urged his country's politicians to show more unity as he warned the West that sanctions imposed over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme would only make the government more determined to pursue it, Iranian media reported.

"The reality is that there are problems, however you must not blame them on this or that party," Khamenei was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency, in a meeting with officials late on Tuesday. "Instead you must solve those problems with unity."
   
"You should avoid useless disputes and airing these disputes to help preserve the nation's unity ... and officials should know these actions will not bring them any honor or prestige among the people," he said.

Khamenei said the sanctions hurt the West more than Iran, pointing especially to the euro zone crisis.
   
"The country will pass over the current economic pressures against the Islamic system, for their continuation is not to the benefit of Western nations," he said.
   
"They (Western powers) explicitly say they should intensify pressure and sanctions to force the Iranian authorities to reconsider their calculations.
   
"Not only will we not reconsider our calculations, moreover with even more resolution we will continue on the path of the people."

REUTERS/LBCI