Photo by Ali Hassanpour

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Muslim countries should take measures to occupy one permanent seat at the UN Security Council
Talking to the visiting Comorian President Ahmad Abdullah Sambi on Monday, the leader said unity is the main need of the Islamic world, Mehr News Agency reported.
“The world of Islam, given its rich natural resources, sensitive geographical position, population and the number of expert human resources, can become a powerhouse, but powerful countries object to this idea,“ he said.
“Despite its abundant resources, the Islamic world is deprived of sufficient powers for upholding its rights. Muslim countries must take practical steps to this end and forget about geographical, racial and religious disputes.“
Ayatollah Khamenei recalled that the enemies of the Islamic world oppose Iran’s nuclear program, though they know that it has a peaceful nature, because the Iranian nation wants to move forward.
The leader further said that the enemies have capitalized on spreading seeds of discord among Muslims, especially by spreading sectarian disputes.
“The bad omen is that some politicians, intellectuals and religious scholars in the Islamic world have been trapped in this plot. But, everybody should know that the Islamic world becomes powerful in light of solidarity,“ he said.
Sambi expressed his gratitude for having the opportunity to meet the leader and called for expansion of bilateral ties.
The Comorian president underlined the need for using the experiences of Iranian experts in developing his country.
Sambi arrived in Tehran at the head of a delegation on Saturday for a three-day visit.

Esteqlal defeated Pegah 3-0 at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium to win the Iran Cup on Monday.
Mehdi Amirabadi scored the first goal in the 15th minute. In the second half of the game, Esteqlal made full efforts to change the result but was not successful.
In the first extra time, Mojtaba Jabbari scored the second goal in the 95th minute of the game. Four minutes later, Arash Borhani scored the third goal.
Pegah did not have a good season in the Premier League and constantly feared relegation. But it has had a very good performance in Iran Cup, as it eliminated tough teams like Sepahan and Barq-e Shiraz at home.
In their last three matches, Esteqlal defeated Zob-e Ahan, Rah-Ahan and Foulad in penalty shootouts.
Goalkeeper Vahid Taleblou’s dazzling performance saved Esteqlal in previous matches.
In the first leg, Pegah defeated Tehran’s Blue 1-0 at Rasht’s Sardar-e Jangal Stadium.

Britain has warned of a high risk, terror attack in the United Arab Emirates, the booming oil-rich Arab state of the Persian Gulf and regional economic and tourist hub that is home to several million foreigners.
“There is a high threat from terrorism. We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the UAE,“ said a travel advice posted online by the embassy, AFP reported.
“Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers such as residential compounds, military, oil, transport and aviation interests,“ it said.
The warning posted on Saturday informed Britons in the pro-western desert nation and key OPEC member that they should “maintain a high level of security awareness, particularly in public places“.
While other Persian Gulf countries have witnesses bloody attacks blamed on the Al-Qaeda network of Saudi-born terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, the UAE has not been targeted.
“We believe that threat to be high. It was a general threat before,“ a British embassy spokeswoman told AFP.
“There are a number of factors that came into consideration. The threat level was raised and the travel advisory was amended to reflect that.“
No other western embassies have made similar warnings.
OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia has been battling a wave of deadly violence waged by Sunni extremists since 2003, including attacks targeting foreigners and key oil installations.
Its impoverished neighbor Yemen has also witnessed several attacks claimed by Al-Qaeda, and in Qatar, one Briton was killed and 12 people were wounded in a suicide bombing at a theater near a British school in Doha in March 2005.
The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, were the only countries to recognize the notorious Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 1997, but it severed links with the radical Islamist regime in 2001 over its refusal to comply with international pressure to hand over bin Laden.
More than 80 percent of the population of 5.6 million in the fast-developing UAE are foreigners, according to figures for 2006 published in February.
Tristan Cooper, Moody’s Investors Service’s Middle East sovereign risk analyst, warned that the threat could potentially damage the robust UAE economy.
“Non-nationals account for over 80 per cent of the population, so yes, it could potentially be hit by a political shock that slowed the inflow of expatriate labor or, in a more extreme scenario, caused resident expatriates to leave the country,“ he told the Dow Jones newswire.

The European Union said on Monday it has not agreed on new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, apparently contradicting British statements announcing new punitive measures.