Iran Special: Live-Blogging Ahmadinejad Press Conference (16 February)

1439 GMT: Press TV cuts away before the last questions are asked. So here is Ahmadinejad's finally televised line: “The problems in the region is because their (the Americans') face is so ugly.”

1431 GMT: Oh, wait, one more about US intervention in Iraq. Ahmadinejad denounces American interference and says the process is up to the Iraqis. This (eventually) widens into the disappointment of Obama not bringing change, for example, with failure to close Guantanamo Bay.

1429 GMT: Ahmadinejad gets an easy question to wrap up the conference on how Iran's diplomats will counter statements such as those of Hillary Clinton. Cue more on how Iran will be strong and stand tall against a "weakening" West.

1426 GMT: Another challenge on the economy over "shadow management, but Ahmadinejad evades and the journalist does not have the persistence to follow up.

1418 GMT: A very brave man is asking about the role of the Ministry of Intelligence in the detention of journalists. Ahmadinejad claims, "No individual, no organisation has the right to arrest anyone without an arrest warrant from Judiciary, not even the Ministry of Intelligence."

The journalist persists, and Ahmadinejad tenses, "You're asking too many questions." He wanders around a bit before saying again, "We are not happy" about the detentions.

1415 GMT: Ahmadinejad now throwing out a few figures and assertions about growth in exports, employment, housing, agriculture, and industry.

1414 GMT: Ahmadinejad adds, "Where is the reply to my message (about uranium enrichment) to President Obama? Where is the outstretched hand?"



1411 GMT: Ahmadinejad declares, "Military action against Iran is out of the question," despite "Zionist efforts...to dominate the region".

1403 GMT: Back to the more mundane issue of the budget. Ahmadinejad defends the limited time given to Parliament to critique the economic plans.

The next journalist returns to the same theme about lack of information in the economic plans, and Ahmadinejad, without any substance, talks about "the most advanced form of planning".

And a 3rd journalist presses the issue on how Ahmadinejad will get information to the people. (I really can't find any way to put the President's response in a form which makes any economic sense. He's now talking about "new media" without answering the question.)

1401 GMT: Ahmadinejad still all over the shop on his 22 Bahman answer.

1357 GMT: Set-piece question on how great support of 11 February (22 Bahman) will be used by the Government to achieve its international goals. Ahmadinejad doesn't do much with the opportunity, wandering around "the power of thought" of the Islamic Revolution, "rather than money or military might" before declaring, "With tens of millions of people on the streets without any prior coordination, because people in Iran are not after what their parties say...people by themselves and they all say the same things and this affects all the equations."

1355 GMT: Platitudes on Palestine and "Zionist regime".

1350 GMT: Ahmadinejad responds to a question on Brazil with more on "three or four Governments wanting to dominate our region, and Iran is an obstacle...We are witnessing the most hilarious jokes in the course of history these days", such as the size of the US nuclear arsenal vs. their claim of Iran's "menace" because it might be able to produce one atomic bomb by 2015. "These three Western countries (US-UK-France) need to correct themselves."

1347 GMT: Question on rises in food prices. Ahmadinejad argues that the inflation rate is 12% but workers' salaries have risen more than 20%. Some individuals, such as those on fixed incomes, "might have run into problems, but in natural economics, that's what I am saying".

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1342 GMT: Ahmadinejad assures, "There are no great differences between the Government and the Parliament" over the subsidy reduction bill.

1340 GMT: Question: does Ahmadinejad have any plans to deal with post-election detentions? The President repeats that he "is not happy with anyone going to jail, but there are laws in the country". And that's all he says.

1337 GMT: A young journalist dares to ask why the Central Bank of Iran recently published a claimed growth rate for 2008-9 but did not publish the 2008 figure for Gross Domestic Product (rendering any claim of economic increase useless). Ahmadinejad replies that the GDP figures are not only estimates (ignoring the fact that the figure was not even printed) and then says the growth rate was 6.9 percent (in fact, the CBI's claim was only 3.8 percent). He then assures, "Everything is transparent in Iran" before wandering into an answer which has nothing to do with the original question.

1328 GMT: I don't think this will be a tough question. An older gentleman is declaring that Iran's greatness has led others to make plots against and asking why the US Senate is threatening Iran's "great riches" with oil and petrol/gasoline sanctions. Ahmadinejad: "We have made preparations in the event of sanctions", Iran will meet its needs and turn into an exporter of gasoline, etc.

1325 GMT: Question as to how Ahmadinejad going to fill his promise that Iran will move from 17th in world economic rankings to 12th. The President says that, while other countries have experienced a drop in Gross Domestic Product, Iran continues to grow. And that's it.

1322 GMT: Line of the Day. Asked about the suspension of newspapers (some of them far from critical of the Government) by Iran's Ministry of Culture, Ahmadinejad says, "Freedom of the press in Iran is a high level." The rest of the answer is a long-winded splutter.

1313 GMT: Question on the three US citizens ("hikers") held by Iran on whether they will be released or whether their mothers will be allowed to come to Tehran to visit them.

Ahmadinejad stalls by saying that there are 3.6 million people imprisoned in America ("we feel for them, too") before getting to the point and saying the judiciary will handle the case. He would like to see them released earlier, but it depends on their crime. Then it's back to how the US has kidnapped and arrested Iranians. But "we're hopeful these problems will be removed" with both Iranians and Americans being freed.

1312 GMT: A more challenging question on how Ahmadinejad will achieve his economic goals with his budget. The President offers platitudes, "Production will be raised. The Government's goals for growth will be met. Investment will be raised."

1309 GMT: Al Jazeera English's correspondent asks (in English) for Ahmadinejad's response to Hillary Clinton's comment that Iran is "moving towards a military dictatorship". The President says, "We don't take her comments seriously" and then, more intriguingly, suggests that her comments are not shared by other "factions" in the Obama Administration.

A big clue, before Ahmadinejad flies off into Iran's greatness and denunciations of US military budget (80 times), that the President does not see Clinton as representative of US Government officials who may have a less confrontational view.

1305 GMT: The Islamic Republic News Agency journalist starts her question with "congratulations on our great aerospace achievements" and then asks about Government plans for further "success", for example, on inflation. Ahmadinejad says, "We will move to production. Overhead costs will be reduced. Banking resources will be directed in the right way", etc., etc.

1303 GMT: Rather strange side-track as Ahmadinejad claims that "West" has tried to "destroy" India and China and then re-build them and now, in its economic crisis, continues to strike at them. He then segues into the West threatening Iran but Iran stands strong, so it is "India and China and then Russia who are vulnerable".

This may be the worst attempt I've seen of trying to win over China-India-Russia to the side of Tehran.

1258 GMT: Jam-e-Jam newspaper asks about Gaza and Yemen. Ahmadinejad denounces imperialism of "occupiers" and then talks about key players like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, "representatives of Islam", in the region.

Nice move, trying to split away Arab states from the US-led effort for a bloc lined up against Iran.

1255 GMT: CNN's representative doesn't want to talk about the internal situation, however. So back to another question on the enrichment of 20 percent uranium. Ahmadinejad acknowledges the need "six months ago" with the shortage of fuel for Iran's medical research reactors and says this was eventually met by "ill will" from other powers. So Iran will proceed with its own enrichment while trying to get a swap deal.

1251 GMT: Wow. I Mean Wow.

This may be the big point from this showpiece. Ahmadinejad is fed a question about what he thinks of the attacks on his close aide, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, and that gives him the platform to come out swinging. Rahim-Mashai is "a pure and sympathetic person...with a clear logic". Those who attack him are "the ones making money".

1250 GMT: Finally a question about the post-election conflict, from Press TV, but it's only a vehicle for Ahmadinejad to bash foreigners: "How serious is Iran about reducing ties with Britain" over its interference during and after the election?

The President says that the ties aren't that important (in other words, Iran does not really want to back up its rhetoric with any meaningful step of confrontation) but repeats his criticism of Britain's bad behaviour.

1248 GMT: Reuters asks if the letter from US-Britain-France to the International Atomic Energy Agency is a "new proposal" on an uranium swap. Ahmadinejad backs off Iran's previous claim that this was a new initiative, rather than a restatement of the US-UK-France position, and says Iran is ready for a "nuclear exchange".

That's a pretty clumsy way of stalling, in line with earlier comments from Iran's Foreign Minister.

1247 GMT: Next question --- "Oh, please, Mr President, tell us more about the subsidy proposals" in the budget. Ahmadinejad says the process is "very big" and "complicated" (i.e., you're not getting any details about the proposed reductions in subsidies or how he's handling Parliament opposition), but no reason "to worry".

1345 GMT: Ahmadinejad handles 2nd question about Iran's nuclear capacity, with claims that a "new generation of centrifuges" have five times Iran's current capacity. Of course, Iran's enrichment for 20 percent uranium "has started".

1240 GMT: First question to the President, and it's not exactly a toughie: what does he think of the threat of further sanctions against Iran? Ahmadinejad says he's not worried, as this is just another sign of the demise of world capitalism and will only get those powers into "further trouble". He says Iran would prefer co-operation but will "put [these nations] to shame, as always", if they persist.

1238 GMT: Ahmadinejad concludes his prepared statement with the claim that the era of "world capitalism" is finished and "people need to join hands" for a better future.

1234 GMT: Ahmadinead still talking about the Prophets. They are great for "human dignity and resisting despotism".

1230 GMT: Now following President Ahmadinejad's live press conference. Nothing significant so far with Ahmadinejad talking generally about "prophets who come to teach mankind value and essence of humanity. Only way of salvations for mankind is submission to prophets' teachings".