Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed defiance of the threat of new sanctions on his country on Saturday, saying the Islamic Republic will not be deterred from pursuing its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, the hardline president has ordered the formation of a team to
study the damages the country suffered from the 1941 Allied invasion, in order to demand compensation.
Ahmadinejad said Iran suffered immensely after it was invaded by Britain and the Soviet Union during World War II despite its declared neutrality and was never compensated.
"A team has been assigned to calculate all the damages [inflicted on Iran] in the Second World War. This will be an invoice they [Allies powers] must pay to the Iranian nation," he said, in remarks broadcast live on state television Saturday.
Ahmadinejad didn't elaborate on the details, but he had earlier said he would write to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to ask that Iran be compensated for the damages caused to its people during the war and for the use of its territory and resources by Allied powers.
Britain and the Soviet Union invaded Iran on August 26, 1941, in a move codenamed Operation Countenance, to secure oil fields and ensure supply lines for the Soviets fighting Axis forces.
"A team has been assigned to calculate all the damages [inflicted on Iran] in the Second World War. This will be an invoice they [Allies powers] must pay to the Iranian nation," he said, in remarks broadcast live on state television Saturday.
