BUSH WARNS IRAN

EARTHQUAKES

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Earthquake strikes fire-ravaged south Greece; no injuries or damage reported
AUG 28,07

ATHENS (AP) - A strong earthquake has hit fire-ravaged southern Greece. The Athens Geodynamic Institute says it had a magnitude of five. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The quake struck just after noon and had an epicentre 185 kilometres west of Athens, 15 kilometres east of Pyrgos near Ancient Olympia. The quake panicked residents in the region and was felt in areas where firefighters were battling blazes.

THERE WILL BE A ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT HEADED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION.

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (The EU) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(Trading Blocks)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

DANIEL 12:4,1
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

REVELATION 13:1-3,7,8,12,16-18
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-10,12,18
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Sarkozy seeks to give EU greater world role
28.08.2007 - 09:22 CET | By Renata Goldirova

As France prepares to assume the EU's driving seat in July next year, president Nicolas Sarkozy has indicated he wants to turn the 27-nation bloc into a decisive player in the global arena – something he says would result in a fairer and more harmonious world order. Europe must progressively affirm itself as a first-rank player for peace and security, in co-operation with the United Nations, the Atlantic Alliance and the African Union, Mr Sarkozy said in the first foreign policy speech of his presidency on Monday (27 August). According to the French leader, it is time for Europe to form a common perception of the main global challenges and of ways in which to tackle them. He himself identified relations between Islam and the West as the main issue that currently needs to be examined.

The European Union alone has accumulated, during the long process of building the community, the practical experience of a shared sovereignty that corresponds well to the demands of our times, Mr Sarkozy told his audience of 180 diplomats, stressing the EU bloc has at its disposal a broad palette of instruments, ranging from military force to humanitarian and financial means. While outlining new ideas, Mr Sarkozy urged the 27-nation club to boost its common security strategy – namely to improve its conduct of joint military operations, to rationalize its arms procurement as well as boost countries' contributions to Europe's defence budget.
The construction of Europe will remain the absolute priority of our foreign policy, France's Nicolas Sarkozy concluded, underlining that France is not strong without Europe, just as Europe is not strong without France.

Different to Chirac

During his speech, president Sarkozy also reached out to new powers in Asia and Latin America, suggesting they should be granted seats at the UN Security Council table. France demands new permanent members – Germany, Japan, India, Brazil – and fair representation for Africa, Nicolas Sarkozy said, while also pushing for the G8 grouping of industrialised powers to expand to the G13. This would include China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Compared to his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, the new French president has chosen a more pro-US tone, although he also condemned the US-led invasion of Iraq and called for a clear timetable for withdrawing foreign troops from the country.

On Russia, Mr Sarkozy used surprisingly tough words.

Russia is imposing its return on the world scene by using its assets, notably oil and gas, with a certain brutality Mr Sarkozy said, adding when one is a great power, one should not be brutal. Turning to Iran, he said the world must tighten the screw on the country's nuclear ambitions – by imposing new sanctions and offering new incentives to Tehran. This initiative is the only one that can enable us to escape an alternative that I say is catastrophic: the Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran, president Sarkozy concluded.

South Africa: Country Joins SADC-EU Trade, Development Talks
Business Day (Johannesburg)27 August 2007 - Mathabo Le Roux - Johannesburg

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is negotiating economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with the European Union (EU). The EPAs are crucial for future trade with the EU when a waiver on the current trade regime with the EU, the Cotonou agreement, expires at the end of the year.The EPAs are trade deals with a developmental framework - a framework SA does not fit into. However, in March last year, SADC requested the EU that SA be included in the negotiations. The EU's first response was silence but eventually it agreed to include SA in the talks.The argument that convinced the EU was that including SA would smooth the way for greater trade harmonisation, and ultimately help regional integration.

So SA is part of trade talks that could have considerable upside, despite the fact that as part of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) SA already enjoys a trade relationship with the EU .Commentators see it as ironic that as SA embarks on arguably its biggest drive to boost economic growth , it is not clear at all that the region's powerhouse has the interest of its fellow members of Sacu in mind.In the national industrial policy framework, the blueprint for industrial development, SA is considering a substantial review of import duties in a bid to lower the input costs of downstream manufacturing - the focus of industrial development.One commentator estimates that the review affects as much as 75% of the tariff book.

The plans pay scant attention to a commitment in the Sacu agreement to develop common policies... for industrial development, say observers.Trevor Manuel signed off on this (industrial policy) but there is a treaty with Sacu - this is an extremely awkward situation. If I were Manuel I would be very worried, says one commentator.In fact, regional industrial development is barely mentioned in the policy.But it is unclear whether SA is considering the effect of its plans on industries in other Sacu countries, and whether it is communicating sufficiently with member countries about the planned changes.The International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) - which encourages fair trade through customs tariff investigations, trade remedies and import and export control - has begun a review of two large chapters of the tariff book , in a bid to eliminate tariffs on goods needed for government's multibillion-rand infrastructure programme.

The targeted chapters include many inputs for infrastructure development, but many other products are also included, such as washing machines, refrigerators, visual and sound equipment and spark plugs .Itac has excluded automotive components from the review. SA's automotive industry is set to benefit from government support beyond 2020 and it does not fit with the plan to liberalise tariffs . But fridges, for instance, are not excluded, despite the fact that a fridge manufacturer in Swaziland provides several hundred good jobs in that unemployment-ridden country.

But SA has also shown disregard for its neighbours in the differential treatment of other policy directives, says another observer.The Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) and the trade and industry department's keeping the programme going with attractive, yet costly, incentives to entrench the automotive industry in SA is well known.Yet a similar scheme, the Duty Credit Certificate Scheme (DCCS), exists for the clothing and textiles industry, and has a far lower profile.The state began a review of the MIDP two years ago , well ahead of its expiry in 2012 and has almost bungled the policy plan in its willingness to please powerful automotive companies.

But while the DCCS formally expired at the end of April, trade and industry let it lapse without mention of plans to review or extend it.The oversight may seem curious in view of the clothing and textiles sector's dire need for assistance, but the fact is that few South African clothing and textile manufacturers benefit from the export plan. They are simply too uncompetitive to export and therefore few use it. However, companies in Swaziland and Lesotho, whose economies rely heavily on this industry, benefit greatly from the scheme but have now been left without policy direction.SA holds out regional integration as a way to achieve an African renaissance but its actions explain why many in the region do not see it as a brother to lean on.2007 Business Day. AllAfrica.

North Atlantic nations call on EU to focus on Arctic
27.08.2007 - 09:30 CET | By Helena Spongenberg

North Atlantic nations are calling on the European Union to pay more attention to the Arctic by recommending the creation of an Arctic information office and an Arctic delegation from the European Parliament.The West Nordic Council agreed to a motion last week, calling upon Brussels to focus more closely on the Arctic region both within the EU system and in its interaction with the rest of the world, reports Greenland newspaper Webavisen.gl.The council, founded in 1985, is a cooperation forum of the parliaments and governments of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland. The forum believes that the EU should have an information office where information about the Arctic and its situation is collected and taken into consideration when making decisions in Brussels.

EU attention on the Arctic region has increased recently, as Greenland in particular has become a showcase for the effects of global warming, with Commission president Jose Manual Barroso and German chancellor Angela Merkel both having visited the country this summer.The race to control the Arctic region has also intensified after Russia planted flag four kilometres (2.5 miles) below the North Pole earlier this month. The effects of global warming are thought to be shrinking the polar ice cap and could lead to new shipping lanes linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as well as new access to oil.The Nordic Council, which also includes Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, as well as the West Nordic council, agreed in June to arrange a conference next year on the Arctic window in the EU's Northern Dimension – an EU initiative seeking to address the specific challenges and opportunities arising in the Nordic countries, Baltic states and Russia.

Olmert, Abbas speak about establishing Palestinian state alongside Israel
The Associated Press - August 28, 2007

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tackled the biggest issues dividing the two sides at their meeting on Tuesday —final borders, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees, an Israeli official said.It was the first time the two men discussed these matters in depth, the official said.
These core issues have to be discussed on the way to finding a diplomatic solution of two states for two peoples, the official quoted Olmert as saying.He spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were private.

I CAN NOT SEE ISRAELS 3RD TEMPLE REBUILT IF ITS IN ARAB HANDS THE TEMPLE MOUNT UNLESS THE EU PUTS PRESSURE ON THE ARABS TO LET ISRAEL REUILD IT IN THE FUTURE. I STILL KNOW JERUSALEM WILL BE DIVIDED BUT MAYBE THE VATICAN WILL BE PUT AS THE HEAD OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT THEN ISRAEL COULD NEGOTIATE IN THE FINAL 7 YR PEACE TREATY TO HAVE THE 3RD TEMPLE REBUIILT. EITHER WAY ITS GOING TO BE A STRUGGLE BUT THE 3RD TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT BEFORE THE FINAL TREATY IS SIGNED.

AND ONE LAST NOTE HERE I THINK THE FUTURE FINAL TREATY SIGNING WILL BE ON ROSH HASHANA IN THE FUTURE SO THIS TEMPLE MOUNT ISSUE IS COMING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME OF THE YEAR EVEN.

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Holy forfeit! Israel willing to give up Temple Mount
Report: Jewish leader offers Arab coalition joint control - August 28, 2007
By Aaron Klein - WorldNetDaily.com


Temple Mount

JERUSALEM – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Egyptian government the Jewish state is willing to forfeit control over the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – to the management of Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, according to an Arab media report. The Egyptian Al Massrioun daily reported this weekend Barak informed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and the Jordanian government Israel is be willing to hand them joint control over the Temple Mount. The report follows a WND exclusive article last week stating Palestinian negotiators drafting an agreement behind the scenes with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office made clear they will not accept any final peace deal with Israel unless the Jewish state forfeits the Temple Mount. According to the Egyptian media report over the weekend, Barak stated an umbrella group of several Arab countries controlling the holy site instead of only the PA would help ease Israeli domestic opposition to giving up the Temple Mount, since Egypt and Jordan are considered by Israeli policy to be moderate countries. Ronen Moshe, a spokesman for Barak, told WND the Egyptian media report is untrue.

We do not comment on the specifics of private conversations with world leaders, but this report is not what was said during the talks, Moshe said. A senior Palestinian official, speaking on condition his name be withheld, told WND yesterday Israel understands there won't be any deal with the Palestinians unless it forfeits the Temple Mount.The official said the Mount was previously a sticking point in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but he said Prime Minister Olmert's government has expressed a number of times a willingness to compromise on the Temple Mount. We've recently received many Israeli plans that showed Israel is willing to allow another body, whether Palestinian or international, to control the [Temple Mount]. The issue is no longer a sticking point, the Palestinian official said. During U.S.-led negotiations in 2000, Barak, then prime minister, reportedly was willing to forfeit the Temple Mount to international control. Those negotiations fell through after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat rejected an offer of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

Adviser Gilad Sher – who represented Barak at initial Israeli-Palestinian planning meetings in 2000 during which President Clinton discussed the Temple Mount – wrote in his book Beyond Reach that Clinton's plan called for the Temple Mount to become complete Palestinian sovereign territory, while the Western Wall below and its complex would fall under Israeli sovereignty. Barak was said to have initially rejected that plan, but according to participants at the negotiations summit, he was ultimately willing to place the Mount under international sovereignty. Some reports claimed Barak offered the Temple Mount to the Palestinians, but the Israeli politician has denied those claims.

Palestinian state outline coming by November

A chief Palestinian negotiator told WND aides from Abbas' Fatah organization have been hammering out the parameters of a final status agreement for presentation in November at a U.S.-backed international summit regarding the Middle East. Yesterday, newly installed Israeli President Shimon Peres told a Tokyo newspaper he hopes to achieve the outline of a final status deal with the Palestinians before the November conference. Israeli and Palestinian diplomatic sources said U.S.-brokered biweekly meetings between Olmert and Abbas are being utilized to draft the outline of a permanent status deal, ultimately yielding a Palestinian state, scheduled to be aired in public at the November summit. Issues already discussed between Israel and the Palestinians reportedly include the division of parts of Jerusalem and debates regarding permanent borders between Israel and the PA. The November international conference and talk from the Bush administration the past few weeks has led many here to speculate the U.S. will push in the near future for intense Israeli-Palestinian negotiations leading to a Palestinian state. With a year and a half left in office, President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been urging meetings between Abbas and Olmert to establish a framework for momentum leading to a breakthrough at November's conference. Asked by WND whether Olmert is willing to forfeit the Temple Mount in an agreement with the Palestinians, David Baker, a spokesman for the prime minister, had no comment.

Jews, Christians barred from praying on Mount

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site. The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries. The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's presence dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site. The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays. The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven. Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from a sacred mosque – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to the farthest mosque and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Currently under Israeli control, Jews and Christians are barred from praying on the Mount. The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area. Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered sensitive by the Waqf. During open days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any holy objects to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Invasive European green crab spotted in waters of southern Newfoundland
Mon Aug 27, 6:01 PM - By Tara Brautigam

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. (CP) - An invasive crab species known as the cockroach of the sea has been spotted in the waters off southern Newfoundland, posing a threat to the province's most lucrative shellfish stocks. The federal Fisheries Department is investigating sightings of the European green crab, an aggressive, olive-coloured crustacean known for its voracious appetite for mussels, clams, scallops - and other crabs. This hardy, highly adaptable species is native to the Atlantic coasts of Europe and northern Africa, stretching from Mauritania to Norway. It has no commercial value. A fisherman in North Harbour, N.L., about 180 kilometres west of St. John's, found a number of the cannibalistic crabs last Tuesday, said Cynthia McKenzie, a federal scientist who specializes in aquatic invasive species. They're some of the most aggressive species I've ever seen, McKenzie said in an interview Monday.

The green crab has already made its way to parts of the Maritimes and British Columbia, but this is the first time it has been detected in Newfoundland waters.
Earle McCurdy, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union, said the discovery in Placentia Bay has left fishermen there worried. It's a nasty little critter, said McCurdy, who represents almost 20,000 Newfoundlanders employed in the fishing industry. It's a bit like having the Hells Angels move into your neighbourhood. There's no good going to come of it.Its presence in Placentia Bay poses a risk to the region's lucrative shellfish industry as well as its growing aquaculture business. Fishermen in the province have increasingly turned to catching snow crab and shrimp since the federal government shut down most of the cod fishery in the early 1990s. It's not known how the crab turned up on Newfoundland's shores, but McCurdy suspects it could have arrived on vessels travelling along one of the North Atlantic's busiest shipping routes, which swings just south of Newfoundland.

That's certainly one of the risks associated with all that activity in Placentia Bay - tankers and refineries and smelters and everything else that people are planning for that bay, he said. It's a major fishing area and all of this activity is adding up to a very significant risk to fish harvesters there from a safety point of view, from an economic point of view and, clearly, from an environmental point of view.The green crab can survive in a range of habitats, including protected rocky shores and sandy beaches. We knew they were on their way, McKenzie said, adding that she and other federal Fisheries scientists are going to conduct a survey over the next couple of weeks to determine how far the crab has spread. The effect in our environment is basically just starting and so we have to decide how is this going to affect movement, how will this affect survival, reproduction, she said. All we have now is lots of questions.

A WORLD ON FIRE By Dr Jack Van Impe AUG 29,07 - Lighting new fires

In the 8th and 9th Chapters of the Book of Revelation, we find two unusual predictions concerning the woes of the Tribulation Hour. First, Revelation 8:7 mentions the burning of one-third of the earth. Second, Revelation 9:18 depicts the extinction of one-third of the world's inhabitants by fire, brimstone, and pillars of smoke. Could these prophetic and astronomical figures find fulfillment in our day?

The Answer is an unequivocal YES. HERE is an insight. In statistical surveys in geographical atlases, there are detailed pages of information about continents, land areas, and population figures for every country in the world. In fact I discovered that Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America cover a total of 56,889,581 square miles. I decided to divide this figure by three, and the resulting sum was 18,963,194 square miles.

This is the amount of land that will burn during the Tribulation period, according to Revelation 9:18. None of this was shocking until I continued my research on the predicted alignment of nations, mentioned in Daniel, Chapters 2,7,11, and in Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39, that would confront each other in the last days. Their combined land area totaled - one-third of the globe.

Thus,Revelation 8:7, and 9:18 could become factual events - as current as today's headlines - in the near future. Think of it! This war will lead to Armageddon. It will also occur, according to major Bible scholars, during the Tribulation Hour.

The signs of the times are present. How much more proof is needed to convince the lost that Christ's return is very near.

Bush warns of holocaust if Iran gets nukes by Olivier Knox
Wed Aug 29, 1:03 AM ET

RENO, United States (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Tuesday raised the specter of a nuclear holocaust in the Middle East if Israel's arch-foe Iran gets atomic weapons, and vowed he would not let that happen. Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere, and the United States is rallying friends and allies to isolate Iran's regime, to impose economic sanctions, he told the American Legion veterans group.We will confront this danger before it is too late, vowed Bush, who has pressed for tougher international sanctions and said he hopes for a diplomatic solution but has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force.Shortly before Bush spoke, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad scoffed at the notion of a US attack on his country dismissed a warning from his new French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, as a symptom of inexperience.There is no ... possibility of such an attack by the United States, Ahmadinejad told a news conference marked by his characteristic defiance.Even if they take such a decision, they cannot implement it, he said.

Sarkozy used a keynote foreign policy address on Monday that the threat of sanctions coupled with an offer of dialogue was the only way of avoiding a catastrophic alternative: an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran.He only recently came to power and wants to find a place for himself in the world, Ahmadinejad said of the French president. He is still inexperienced, meaning that maybe he does not really understand the meaning of his own words.In a speech billed as a defense of the Iraq war, Bush branded Iran the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, citing its backing of Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Shiite fighters killing US troops in Iraq.And Iran's active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust, he said.

The United States accuses Iran -- OPEC's number two oil producer and owner of the second largest proven gas reserves in the world -- of seeking to make nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian energy drive.Iran insists that the drive is entirely peaceful and that its growing population will need nuclear power as fossil fuels start to run dry.Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment -- a sensitive process that can be used both to make nuclear fuel and nuclear weapons -- has already seen it slapped with two sets of UN sanctions.Washington has been pushing for tougher measures, but Ahmadinejad said Iran was now cooperating so well with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that more UN sanctions were unlikely.Not one member of the IAEA has cooperated as well as Iran. So from our point of view, Iran's nuclear case is closed. Iran is a nuclear nation and has the nuclear fuel cycle, he said.A deal reached between Iran and the IAEA last week sets out a detailed timetable for Tehran to answer outstanding questions about its atomic drive, but does not tackle the key sticking point over whether Iran should suspend uranium enrichment activities.

The US envoy to the IAEA, Gregory Schulte, has dismissed the plan as having real limitations, and claimed that Iran is clearly trying to distract attention from its continued development of bomb-making capability.Schulte insisted that the United States would continue pushing for a third round of sanctions, which diplomats said Washington wanted to happen in September. Meanwhile, US Senator John McCain warned that said Ahmadinejad's remarks point to show the looming danger posed by the Iranian regime. Iran's Holocaust-denying president today told the media that 'soon we will see a huge power vacuum in the region' as the American effort in Iraq collapses and that his regime is prepared to fill the gap in Iraq, the Republican presidential contender said. He added that the entire region faces instability and greater conflict, and called warned on Washington to do everything necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.