Ahmadinejad warns U.S., Israel of 'crushing response' if attacked

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday once again warned the United States and Israel against even contemplating a strike against the Islamic nation. "They want to do it, but they know our power. They know that we would give them a very decisive response," he said in an exclusive interview with the Russia Today news channel. "We would give them a crushing response," he continued. "We will defend ourselves with our full capability. But I hope that will never come. There is no reason for war, why should they attack us?" On the issue of nuclear weapons Ahmadinejad said Iran would never seek to acquire a nuclear deterrent. "We do not want nuclear weapons. We do not seek nuclear weapons. This is an inhuman weapon," he said, adding that "nuclear weapons are the weapons of the previous century." "International equations are not determined by nuclear arsenals today. It's about the life of human beings. The Americans have nuclear bombs and nuclear weapons and could they win in Iraq and Afghanistan? Could the nuclear weapons help the Israelis gain victory in Lebanon and Gaza?" Concerning the Bushehr nuclear plant that Russia is building in Iran, Ahmadinejad said he had just spoken with President Dmitry Medvedev about it and that everything was on schedule. "Naturally all necessary precautions must be taken," the Iranian president added. Asked about his plans for after 2013, when his second and final presidential term comes to an end, Ahmadinejad said that "the future is very bright." "We have free elections in our country, whoever is elected by the people will be the right one and this is the right of our nation." As for his own future, he said he was a university professor "and I have preserved this job and profession and I will continue to serve the nation."