Ahmadinejad: Sanctions aid, rather than hurt, Iran

Associated Press - Faced with the prospect of new sanctions because of Iran's nuclear defiance, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that new penalties would only strengthen the country's technological progress by encouraging it to become more self-sufficient.

In a speech, Ahmadinejad also rejected President Barack Obama's offers of engagement, saying "three or four beautiful words" don't mean U.S. policies have changed under his administration.

"They say they have extended a hand to Iran, but the Iranian government and nation declined to welcome that," he said. "What kind of hand did you extend towards the Iranian nation? What has changed? Did you lift sanctions? Did you stop propaganda? Did you reduce the pressure?" Read more.