Iran News and Discussions

[sob]

Iran Nuclear Deal

Looks like Iran and the western negotiators led IAEA could be close to some sort of agreement on the enrichment issue.

Also this could be a diversionary tactic as the IAEA inspectors head to Tehran for inspecting a newly revealed atomic plant.

TEHRAN — Iran said on Monday it could deliver abroad some of its low-enriched uranium to be upgraded or buy the fuel directly, as a UN team was due to carry further checks on a newly-revealed atomic plant.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran was mulling the UN-brokered deal which envisages shipping out Tehran's low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad to be converted into nuclear fuel and would announce a decision within days.

"For the supply of (nuclear) fuel, we may buy it like in the past or we may deliver a part of our (low-enriched uranium) fuel that we don't need now," Mottaki told the official IRNA news agency.

"Both options are on the table."

Mottaki is the most senior official to talk about buying the fuel directly since the UN atomic watchdog brokered a deal in Vienna which suggests shipping out Tehran's LEU abroad to be converted into fuel.

The UN-brokered deal was suggested first by world powers through the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEAR), Mottaki said.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also suggested this arrangement a day before October 1 high-profile talks in Geneva between six world powers and Tehran about Western concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.

US-backed Western powers back the UN-brokered deal and are keen that Iran's LEU be taken out as they suspect Tehran would process it further on its own to higher purity levels and use it to make atomic weapons. Tehran denied the charge.

France has said the deal aims to transport 1,200 kilos of Iran's LEU to Moscow to be converted into fuel. Iran is estimated to have 1,500 kilos of LEU at its uranium enrich plant in the central city of Natanz.

But the UN-led offer has met with tough opposition from top Tehran officials who suspect Western powers of creating obstacles for Iran's uranium enrichment drive, which they ultimately want suspended.

Enrichment of uranium is the most controversial aspect of Tehran's nuclear programme as enriched uranium can be used for generating electricity -- as Tehran claims it is doing -- or to make the fissile core of an atom bomb.

"Making a decision to choose which option is on the agenda of the Islamic republic and in the next few days the decision will be announced," Mottaki said, adding that Tehran was still "examining" the UN-led deal.

Mottaki also raised the possibility that Iran could actually ask to buy the fuel directly, when he told IRNA that even close ally China was welcome to provide the Islamic republic with the fuel.

"China is an important country which has the fuel production technology and if it is interested in providing fuel to Iran, Iran will welcome China's participation," he said.

He also dismissed talks that Iran was giving up its enrichment rights and said Tehran will "not give up enrichment rights as it is a member of the IAEA and signatory to the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)."

Mottaki's comments come a day after Mohsen Rezai, secretary of the Expediency Council, Iran's top political arbitration body, said a nuclear fuel accord with the West was not a problem but Iran must "keep 1,100 kilos of LEU."

"For the Tehran nuclear reactor we need to send only 350 kilos of LEU... which will allow us to produce the fuel needed for 20 to 25 years," Rezai said.

A four-member team of UN experts meanwhile was expected to conduct more checks on Iran's controversial second uranium enrichment plant on Monday, the second day of their visit to Iran.

The plant is being built inside a mountain near the Shiite holy city of Qom, south of Tehran and is adjacent to a military base and hence is heavily guarded in case of any air strike by archfoes US or Israel.

The inspectors are checking the site to verify whether it was designed for peaceful nuclear purposes as its disclosure on September 21 had triggered widespread outrage in the West.

The experts are expected to compare the information of the plant provided by Iran with what they actually find at the facility, Mehr news agency reported on Saturday quoting a Vienna-based official.

They are also expected to take environmental samples from around the plant to analyse if any radioactive material has been moved into the facility.

AFP: Iran says two nuclear fuel options still on table

 

[Pintu]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jG7bnyWWJf***D-JwcqmImlpRujwD9BJEA0O2

Ahmadinejad reiterates Iran right to nuke program

By NASSER KARIMI (AP) – 1 hour ago

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran will persist with its nuclear program despite international concerns, the country's president said Tuesday, as the world awaited Tehran's response to a nuclear deal that could ease tensions with the West.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has long insisted Iran has a right to pursue its nuclear ambitions, but the remarks Tuesday were his first since the U.N.-drafted offer was put forth last week.

Ahmadinejad did not directly refer to the draft, but his comments could indicate Iran's hardening stance toward the U.N. proposal. Tehran is expected to respond to the offer this week.

The plan envisages Iran sending out most of uranium abroad for enrichment, which would reduce its stockpile and limit Iran's ability to make a nuclear weapon.

Ahmadinejad on Tuesday lashed out at archenemy Israel, which is believed to have nuclear weapons.

"When an illegal regime has atomic weapons, it's impossible to block others from the right to have peaceful nuclear energy," Ahmadinejad said during a meeting with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The remarks came as U.N. inspectors are visiting a formerly secret uranium enrichment site in Iran.

Fears about the nature of Iran's nuclear program were heightened in September with the disclosure of a uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom. U.N. inspectors made their first visit to the site on Sunday, kicking off a three-day mission that will include taking soil samples from the site. No results on their findings were expected until they leave Iran later this week.

Iran agreed to the inspections during a landmark meeting with the U.S. and other world powers at the beginning of October in Geneva, where the idea of Tehran shipping uranium to Russia for further enrichment was first raised.

The draft U.N. plan was formalized last week after Iran held talks in Vienna with the United States, Russia and France.

Under the draft, Iran is required to send 2,420 pounds (1,100 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium to Russia in one batch by the end of the year in order to receive the nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor that makes medical isotopes.

On Tuesday, Ahmadinejad also praised Erdogan's stance over Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying the Turkish leader's "clear stance toward the Zionist regime has had a positive impact on the world of Islam."

At an international conference in January, Erdogan strongly condemned Israel's offensive in Gaza and the steep Palestinian casualties inflicted there. The Iranian leader is known for his anti-Israeli remarks since 2005, when he said the Jewish state should be "wiped off the map."

Iran's stance on the plan has so far been unclear.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki hinted Monday Tehran could agree to ship some of its low-enriched uranium to Russia for processing as reactor fuel — but also left the possibility open that Iran may snub the proposal altogether.

A partial acquiescence with the offer is unlikely to defuse the controversy or allay Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

 

[Pintu]

AFP: Iran to accept nuclear fuel deal : TV

Iran to accept nuclear fuel deal : TV

By Jay Deshmukh and Farhad Pouladi (AFP) – 5 hours ago

TEHRAN — Iran will accept the broad framework of a UN-brokered uranium deal but wants "very important changes," state television said Tuesday, adding Tehran will offer its formal response within 48 hours.

The United States, meanwhile, said six world powers have held talks in a bid to maintain pressure on Iran to come clean on its controversial nuclear programme.

Iranian officials on Tuesday continued to express conflicting views on the deal, a day after Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran may ship part of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) for conversion into fuel.

"Iran will accept the broad framework of the deal, but wants very important changes in it," state-owned Arabic language Al-Alam TV channel said, quoting a source close to Tehran's nuclear negotiating team.

It did not elaborate but added that Tehran will offer its response to the deal within "48 hours".

UN atomic watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which drafted the deal refused to comment on the television report, saying it is awaiting an official response from Tehran.

France has said the deal calls for Tehran to hand over 1,200 kilos of its 3.5 percent LEU to Russia for higher refining up to 20 percent purity which can be used as fuel for a Tehran research reactor which makes medical isotopes.

World powers have backed this proposal as they want Iran's LEU shipped out amid suspicion Iran intends to enrich it further to very high levels and use it in making atomic weapons.

Tehran says its uranium enrichment drive -- the most controversial aspect of its nuclear project -- is for peaceful purposes only.

Depending on the level of purity, enriched uranium can be used as fuel for powering civilian nuclear reactors or to make the fissile core of an atom bomb.

World powers are ready for Tehran's LEU to be refined abroad to a 20 percent purity and returned as fuel for Tehran reactor as the facility is closely monitored by the IAEA.

The IAEA drafted the uranium exchange deal during Vienna talks held between Iran, Russia, France and the United States earlier this month.

Iran was to give its response to the deal last Friday but delayed it to this week amid stiff opposition from some top officials, including parliament speaker Ali Larijani who said the West was trying to "cheat" Iran.

On Monday, Mottaki in a first official response said Iran could ship "part" of its LEU abroad, although buying the fuel directly from a foreign supplier was still an option.

Influential hardline lawmaker Mohammad Kosari who is a member of parliament's committee on national security and foreign policy said he "rejects the deal" which according to him will also "be rejected by majlis (parliament) by a high margin."

It was however unclear whether parliament's approval was essential for the deal.

But the head of the committee, lawmaker Alaeddin Borujerdi, said Iran should hand over its LEU in batches as it would help in "confidence-building" with world powers.

"We provide part of 3.5 percent enriched uranium to the party in the deal and once we receive the 20 percent, we give another batch of 3.5 percent," Borujerdi was quoted as saying by ILNA news agency.

"In other words not all the fuel (LEU) will be handed over in one batch."

Iran is estimated to have 1,500 kilos of LEU at its uranium enrichment plant in the central city of Natanz, produced in defiance of three sets of UN sanctions.

The United States said world powers spoke on Monday of the need to maintain united pressure on Iran.

US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said representatives from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany had spoken by telephone.

"They discussed the need for unity of the P5 plus one in our approach to the issue of Iran's nuclear programme," he said.

The six powers held their first meeting in 15 months with Iran in Geneva on October 1 to allay their concerns over Tehran's atomic programme.

 

[RAM]

Iran to respond to atomic deal Thursday in Vienna


Wed Oct 28, 2009

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency will present Tehran's position on a draft nuclear fuel deal with three powers in Vienna on Thursday, a semi-official Iranian news agency said on Wednesday.

Mehr News Agency said Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh would personally give Iran's response to Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on the plan ElBaradei drafted for Iran to send most of its enriched uranium abroad.

A diplomat close to the agency said IAEA inspectors who arrived in Iran on Sunday to examine a previously secret enrichment site under construction 160 km (100 miles) south of Tehran would return to Vienna on Thursday.

Neither the IAEA nor Iranian officials have commented on the inspectors' visit to the site, aimed at verifying that it was intended to yield peaceful nuclear energy, not nuclear weapons.

The U.N. watchdog was not expected to publish its findings before its next quarterly report on Iran, due in mid-November.

Echoing a report by Iranian state television on Tuesday, Mehr said Iran would accept the framework of the U.N. draft but propose changes, a move that could unravel the plan and rekindle demands for harsher international sanctions against Tehran.

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, did not directly confirm the Mehr report but told Reuters Soltanieh left Tehran for Vienna early on Wednesday.

"He will meet with Mr. ElBaradei at the first appropriate opportunity and present what he received in Tehran," Salehi said.

Under the draft deal ElBaradei hammered in consultations last week in Vienna with Iran, the United States, France and Russia, Iran would send low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further processing and eventual use in a research reactor.

It calls for Iran to transfer about 75 percent of its known 1.5 tonnes of LEU to Russia for further enrichment by the end of this year, then to France for conversion into fuel plates.

These would be returned to Tehran to power the reactor, which produces radio-isotopes for cancer treatment.

The U.S. role in the deal would entail upgrading safety and instrumentation at the plant, Soltanieh said last week.

For world powers, the plan's appeal lies in reducing the stockpile of Iran's LEU below the threshold needed for conversion into highly-enriched uranium for an atom bomb.

This would buy about a year of time for negotiations on halting enrichment in Iran in exchange for benefits to forge a long-term solution to a standoff over its nuclear ambitions.
The Islamic Republic has ruled out any restraints on its "legal and obvious" right to enrich, and says it is doing so only for power plant fuel, not nuclear warheads.

But its history of nuclear secrecy and continued curbs on U.N. inspections raised Western suspicions that it ultimately seeks to derive bombs from enrichment technology.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised Iran for its decision to grant IAEA inspectors access to the Qom site, whose existence it revealed only last month. This was three years after Western spy services detected the site, diplomats said.

"The inspection of the new Iranian enrichment site in Qom, conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency this week, is a positive step," Ban told reporters at the United Nations.

Senior Iranian lawmakers have said Iran should import foreign nuclear fuel rather than send abroad by the end of this year much of its own LEU stock -- a crucial strategic asset in talks with world powers -- as the U.N. proposal stipulates.

Raising another condition likely to be rejected by the powers, state television said on Tuesday Iran opposed sending its uranium stockpile abroad in one go.

"According to an informed source in Vienna, Iran in its final response to the agency, while accepting the framework, will propose changes," Mehr said in its report on Wednesday.

The official news agency IRNA also quoted comments from a Foreign Ministry source indicating Tehran did not trust France to be part of the plan. "France will be a loser because of its radical position...," the ministry source was quoted as saying.

"The French foreign minister's comments once again showed that France does not have any positive will to cooperate with the Islamic Republic on enrichment and our mistrust toward that country was completely correct and based on the realities."

IRNA did not make clear what comments by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner the source was referring to.

Kouchner said in an interview on Monday with Britain's Daily Telegraph that he thought more pressure should be piled on Iran to avert the threat of Israel taking military action.

The European Union's foreign policy chief said on Tuesday there was no need to rework ElBaradei's draft and he and Kouchner suggested Tehran would expose itself anew to harsher international sanctions if it tried to undo the plan.

But the Kremlin's top foreign policy aide said on Wednesday sanctions against Iran were highly unlikely in the near future, Interfax news agency reported.

courtesy

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE59N14M20091028?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=11604

 

[Pintu]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jG7bnyWWJf***D-JwcqmImlpRujwD9BM1PL80

Iran lawmakers reject UN-drafted uranium plan

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI (AP) – 2 hours ago

TEHRAN, Iran — Senior Iranian lawmakers rejected on Saturday a U.N.-backed plan to ship much of the country's uranium abroad for further enrichment, raising further doubts about the likelihood Tehran will finally approve the deal.

The UN-brokered plan requires Iran to send 1.2 tons (1,100 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium — around 70 percent of its stockpile — to Russia in one batch by the end of the year, easing concerns the material would be used for a bomb.

After further enrichment in Russia, France would convert the uranium into fuel rods that would be returned to Iran for use in a reactor in Tehran that produces medical isotopes.

Iran has indicated that it may agree to send only "part" of its stockpile in several shipments. Should the talks fail to help Iran obtain the fuel from abroad, Iran has threatened to enrich uranium to the higher level needed to power the research reactor itself domestically.

The Tehran reactor needs uranium enriched to about 20 percent, higher than the 3.5 percent-enriched uranium Iran is producing for a nuclear power plant it plans to build in southwestern Iran. Enriching uranium to even higher levels can produce weapons-grade materials.

"We are totally opposed to the proposal to send 3.5 percent enriched uranium in return for 20 percent enriched fuel," senior lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted by the semiofficial ISNA news agency as saying.

Boroujerdi, who heads the parliament's National Security Committee, said the priority for Iran was to buy nuclear fuel and hold on to its own uranium. He also said there was no guarantee that Russia or France will keep to the deal and supply nuclear fuel to Iran if Tehran ships them its enriched uranium.

"The preferred option is to buy fuel ... there is no guarantee that they will give us fuel ... in return for enriched uranium. We can't trust the West," ISNA quoted Boroujerdi as saying.

Kazem Jalali, another senior lawmaker, said Iran wants nuclear fuel first before agreeing to ship its enriched uranium stocks to Russia and France even if it decides to strike a deal.

"They need to deliver nuclear fuel to Iran first ... the West is not trustworthy," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

Jalali said Iran needs fuel and putting conditions to deliver it for the research reactor is unacceptable.

"Countries possessing fuel are required, under international rules, to provide fuel for such reactors. Putting conditions is basically wrong," he said.

Jalali said these conditions for the fuel was teaching Iran new lessons.

"Western approach toward Iran's demand for fuel is only straightening Iran's resolve to continue its peaceful nuclear program," he added.

The lawmaker said France has reneged on previous agreements and that Tehran doesn't trust Paris.

He said Iran holds a 10 percent share in a Eurodif nuclear plant in France purchased more then three decades earlier but is not allowed to get a gram of the uranium it produces as an example that Iran can't trust the West.

Tehran says it has paid for 50 tons of UF-6 gas, which can be turned into enriched uranium, in Eurodif's plant but has not been allowed to use it.

"Iran is a shareholder in Eurodif but doesn't enjoy its rights. This shows the French are not reliable," Jalali said.

Areva, the state-run French nuclear company, has described Iran as a "sleeping partner" in Eurodif.

The U.S. and its allies have been pushing the U.N.-backed agreement as a way to ease their concerns that Iran is using its nuclear program as a way to covertly develop weapons capability.

 

[Pintu]

AFP: West still untrustworthy over Iran talks: Ahmadinejad

West still untrustworthy over Iran talks: Ahmadinejad

By Aresu Eqbali (AFP) – 5 hours ago

TEHRAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday Iran still finds it difficult to trust Western powers when it comes to talks, but that he also hopes the nuclear dialogue between the two will continue.

His comments came after the White House warned that US President Barack Obama will not wait for ever for Tehran's response to a UN-drafted deal to supply Iran with nuclear fuel in exchange for its low-enriched uranium (LEU).

Two influential senior Iranian lawmakers opposed the deal on Saturday, raising the possibility that Tehran could turn down the proposed offer.

Ahmadinejad also said Iran's arch-foe Israel is unhappy with the ongoing talks with the world powers over the Islamic republic's overall nuclear programme.

Iran and six world powers are separately engaged in a dialogue over allaying Western suspicions that Tehran's nuclear programme is aimed at making weapons -- a charge strongly denied by Iran.

"The best way for you is to respect the Iranian nation and cooperate honestly with this nation," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on Saturday at a function in northeastern Iran.

Ahmadinejad said Iran approaches the talks with Western powers with a sense of distrust, because of what he called their past "negative record."

"We hope the negotiations continue and evil powers don't indulge in mischief because the Zionist regime and other domineering powers are unhappy with the talks," ISNA news agency quoted him as telling a local television channel in the northeast late on Friday.

"The government, like all Iranian people, looks at the negotiations with no trust, given the negative record of Western powers, but realities make them interact with Iranian people."

Ahmadinejad appeared to return to his traditional anti-West rhetoric after a positive comment on Thursday when he said that "conditions were ready" for nuclear cooperation between Iran and world powers.

Western powers are awaiting a clear response from Tehran over the nuclear fuel deal brokered by UN atomic watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

France has said that under the deal 1,200 kilos of Iranian LEU -- enriched at a facility in Natanz in defiance of three sets of UN sanctions -- would be shipped abroad for further higher processing and conversion into fuel for a Tehran research reactor.

Western powers are backing the deal as the Tehran reactor is an internationally supervised facility, and the deal aims at removing Tehran's stock of LEU, a major concern in the West which suspects the enriched material could be further refined for use in nuclear weapons.

Israel, which maintains that world powers must keep all options on table to halt Tehran's nuclear drive, including a military strike, has also backed the UN-drafted deal.

The Jewish state is the Middle East's sole -- if undeclared -- nuclear-armed power.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday called the deal "a positive first step," as it supports efforts "to unite the international community to address the challenge of Iran's attempts to become a nuclear military power."

The IAEA has confirmed that Tehran has given an "initial" response to the deal, but late on Friday IRNA reported that Iran's response was "not an answer" to the deal and that it wanted more talks.

On Friday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs warned that Obama will not wait for ever for a formal reply from Iran.

"The president's time is not unlimited, this was not about talking for the sake of talking, this was about reaching an agreement that just a few weeks ago seemed to be something that the Iranians wanted," he said.

But Iranian lawmakers increasingly appeared to dismiss the idea of sending Iranian LEU abroad.

"We are completely against the offer... I think the best option is to buy the necessary fuel for the Tehran reactor as before," Alaeddin Borujerdi, who heads parliament's committee on national security and foreign policy, told ISNA.

He said Iran "widely distrusts Westerners" who "did not fulfill their contracts with Iran" in the past.

Fellow MP Kazem Jalali also rejected the deal, saying there was no guarantee Iran would receive the fuel in exchange for its LEU.

"It is completely unacceptable that we give all our enriched material to other countries in return for fuel... because there is no guarantee that we will get the fuel," he told ILNA news agency.

 

[Pintu]

The Associated Press: 6 world powers meet about Iran nuclear issue

6 world powers meet about Iran nuclear issue

By SLOBODAN LEKIC (AP) – 1 hour ago

BRUSSELS — Representatives of six world powers met in Brussels on Friday to discuss possible measures against Tehran for its refusal to halt nuclear enrichment activities.

The European Union said senior diplomats from the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany took part in the talks.

President Barack Obama said Thursday the six nations will develop a package of serious new punitive measures in coming weeks. He did not give details of any possible measures under consideration.

On Wednesday, Tehran indicated it would not export its enriched uranium for further processing, effectively rejecting the latest plan brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency and aimed at delaying Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon.

Under the IAEA plan, Iran would export its uranium for enrichment in Russia and France where it would be converted into fuel rods, which would be returned to Iran about a year later. The rods can power reactors but cannot be readily turned into weapons-grade material.

The meeting in Brussels involved political directors — Foreign Ministry officials below ministerial level, EU spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said. It was supposed to take stock of the situation, and no decisions would be made, she said.

The United States was represented by Undersecretary of State William Burns, and Russia by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

But on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki played down the threat of sanctions saying embargoes had proved ineffective in the past and that he didn't believe they would be tried again.

Meanwhile in Berlin, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said he hoped Iran would not miss the opportunity to resolve its dispute with the international community.

"I would hate to see that we are moving back to sanctions," Mohamed El-Baradei said. "Because sanctions, at the end of the day ... really don't resolve issues."

He said the IAEA had not yet received a formal reply from Tehran to its proposals, although Iranian officials had told him they would not send uranium for reprocessing abroad unless they first received the promised fuel rods.

"Well, that to me is an extreme case of distrust," El-Baradei said. "And what we are really trying to do is replace distrust by a degree of trust."

AP reporter Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this report from Berlin.

 

[Pintu]

AFP: No 'final answer' from Iran on nuclear offer: IAEA

No 'final answer' from Iran on nuclear offer: IAEA

(AFP) – 2 hours ago

BERLIN — Iran has not yet provided a "final answer" to a "unique" international nuclear fuel offer, Mohamed ElBaradei, the outgoing head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said on Friday.

"I do not consider that I have received a final answer," ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in Berlin. "But I also very much hope that I will get an answer pretty much soon."

"We have not received any written response from Iran. What I got of course is an oral response, which basically said 'we need to keep all the material in Iran until we get the fuel,'" he said. "That to me is a case of extreme mistrust."

He added: "I believe that frankly the ball is very much in the Iranian court. I hope that they will not miss this unique and fleeting opportunity ... I hope that we will get an agreement by the end of the year."

In an attempt to draw Iran into talks and guarantee that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, six world powers have offered to reprocess some of its low-enriched uranium abroad.

But on Wednesday, Iran appeared to reject the proposal out of hand, prompting US President Barack Obama to warn of "consequences" in the form of tougher sanctions.

Representatives from the six powers -- the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany -- were meeting in Brussels on Friday to discuss the next steps in what ElBaradei called "an environment of desperation."

ElBaradei, who steps down at the end of November after 12 years, raised doubts about the efficacy of fresh sanctions against the Islamic republic.

"I would hate to see that we are moving back to sanctions. Sanctions at the end of the day, in most cases, hurt the vulnerable and the innocent. It really doesn't resolve issues.

"It would lead to more confrontation, it would lead Iran to make possibly more provocative actions. We should do everything possible to avoid that."

He said that previous sanctions, such as on Iraq before the US-led invasion in 2003, had been "horrible" with "in the name of human rights ... an egregious violation of human rights."

"Mr. Saddam Hussein continued to enrich himself as a result of these sanctions. It did not hurt in any way his government," he said.

"If sanctions are going to be applied, we are going to need 'smart sanctions', that is targeting governments and not people," ElBaradei said.

He added in a "message to the Iranian leadership: You need to engage in creative diplomacy, you need to understand that this is the first time when you will have a genuine commitment by a US president to engage with you."

"The international community has a lot to gain by regularising relations. Iran in my view is the gate to stability to the Middle East, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. It's a win-win situation."

 

[Pintu]

IAEA chief: Time is running out for Iran nuclear deal - Haaretz - Israel News

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.
(Reuters)

Last update - 14:52 20/11/2009
IAEA chief: Time is running out for Iran nuclear deal
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies

International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Friday that he believes that Iran has not totally rejected his agency's nuclear fuel plan, but that time was running out.

"The ball is now in Iran's court. I hope they will not miss this fleeting chance," he told reporters in Berlin.

Iran "needed to rise above their domestic conflicts" on the nuclear issue, and take a "minimum risk" in the interests of peace, ElBaradei said.

"I hope to get an answer soon, within the next week or so," the IAEA chief said.

"That would open a space for Iran and the US to engage in broad negotiations," he said.

The IAEA chief also said he did not want to see sanctions against Iran, adding he thought they would only force Tehran into a more hawkish position.

"It is a unique opportunity to move from sanctions and confrontation to the process of building...trust," ElBaradei told a news conference in Berlin.

On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brushed off international warnings after apparently rejecting a compromise deal on the country's controversial nuclear program.

However, Iran has not made a formal written response to the IAEA's proposal.

The deal proposed that Iran would ship its low-grade enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel for Tehran's medical research reactor.

Top diplomats from the so-called "5+1" group of world powers were to meet in Brussels on Friday to discuss how to respond to Iran's so- far negative response to the proposed deal.

On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that Iran would only accept the fuel deal if the swap of low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel would be effected simultaneously.

ElBaradei has accordingly proposed Turkey as a trusted intermediary, whereby Iran would ship the nuclear fuel to Turkey, which would hold on to it while Russia enriches a separate batch of nuclear fuel. Russia would only receive the original Iranian fuel once it had delivered the enriched fuel to Iran

 

[Pintu]

AFP: Major powers to meet after Iran snubs nuclear deal

Major powers to meet after Iran snubs nuclear deal

By Lorne Cook (AFP) – 1 day ago

BRUSSELS — Major world powers are to meet in Brussels on Friday to discuss Iran's rejection of a nuclear fuel deal, a top EU official said, after US President Barack Obama warned of "consequences" for Tehran.

Iran, meanwhile, hit out at the United States amid mixed signals from world powers and an apparent new deadlock in efforts to allay Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme.

"Tomorrow (Friday) in Brussels there will be a meeting of the three plus three at the level of political directors, hosted by the European Union," said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana's spokeswoman.

UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany are leading talks aimed at persuading Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.

On Wednesday, Iran rejected a proposal for it to send more than 70 percent of its stocks of low-enriched uranium abroad under a deal brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.

The LEU would have been converted into nuclear fuel and returned to Iran to power a research reactor in Tehran.

The deal aimed to defuse a long-running standoff with the West over Tehran's atomic programme.

As Russia played down the prospects of new sanctions but France ruled out further talks on technical aspects of the deal, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went on the offensive against Washington.

"If our nation sees they have changed their behaviour, dropped their arrogant attitude ... and return Iranian nation's rights and assets, the nation will accept that," he said in a televised speech from the northern city of Tabriz.

Obama has pursued a carrot-and-stick policy, offering diplomatic engagement and at the same time threatening tougher sanctions if Iran does not come clean over its atomic programme.

Washington froze Iranian government assets in 1979 after Islamist militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took its staff hostage, which led to the scrapping of diplomatic relations in 1980.

Iran's uranium enrichment work is at the centre of fears about its atomic ambition as the process which makes nuclear fuel can also be used to make atomic bombs.

Iran has refused to halt enrichment despite three sets of UN sanctions and it drew outrage in the West by disclosing in September a new enrichment plant, Fordo, which is being built inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom.

Iran's IAEA envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh said UN experts would visit the Fordo plant on Thursday for the second time in less than a month.

And Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran is ready for more talks with world powers and prepared to consider a simultaneous exchange of uranium for fuel for the Tehran reactor.

The IAEA, however, has already that such an exchange is unacceptable to the Western powers.

Obama stepped up pressure on Iran after it dismissed the fuel deal which emerged from talks in Vienna among Iran and France, Russia and the United States.

He warned that Washington has "begun discussions with its international partners about the importance of having consequences."

"Our expectations are that over the next several weeks we will be developing a package of potential steps that we could take that will indicate our seriousness to Iran."

World powers have warned Iran it could face tough new sanctions.

However, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said there was currently "no discussion" about more sanctions. "We believe that we have every chance of implementing the Geneva agreements in full."

French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said dialogue could continue with Tehran on its contentious nuclear programme but ruled out talks on "technical issues."

"Iran has clearly rejected the proposed deal," he said.

Under the IAEA-brokered proposals, Iran would send out 1,200 kilograms (more than 2,640 pounds), which would then be further enriched by Russia and converted into fuel by France before being supplied to Tehran.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is to meet with Ahmadinejad in Tabriz on Friday, a Turkish diplomat in Ankara told AFP.

Turkey has offered to store Iran's uranium as part of a possible solution to the stand-off and is still awaiting an answer from Tehran.

 

[Pintu]

Analysis of The Associated Press , Copyright : The Associated Press

The Associated Press: Analysis: Outlook for tough Iran sanctions is dim

Analysis: Outlook for tough Iran sanctions is dim

By ROBERT BURNS (AP) – 5 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is shifting the focus of its Iran policy from talk to sanctions, but the prospect of winning early international support for toughened new penalties appears dim.

Equally problematic is finding a set of sanctions that would have a significant impact on the prime target of American and international worry: Iran's suspected pursuit of an atom bomb. Three rounds of U.N. sanctions, dating to December 2006 and aimed mainly at squeezing Iran's nuclear work, have had little apparent effect.

The administration may get an early indication of its prospects at a huddle Friday in Brussels with senior diplomats from the four other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Russia, China, Britain and France — plus Germany. Any decisions on new Iran sanctions, though, are likely weeks away.

The administration has tried for months to draw Iran into talks to resolve international worries that its declared intent to develop a civilian nuclear power network is cover for a secret nuclear weapons program. But the Iranians have shown little interest, while denying any clandestine nuclear ambition.

The diplomacy, while unsuccessful so far, may improve the administration's chances on sanctions by demonstrating to the Europeans, Chinese and others that Washington has at least tried to find an accommodation with Iran.

"Many of them are still instinctively against sanctions, but Iranian intransigence has put them in a bind," said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank.

President Barack Obama said Thursday in South Korea that because the Iranians rejected a U.N. proposal to ship the majority of Iran's low-enriched uranium out of the country, "we have begun discussions with our international partners" about new pressure tactics. He said "a package of potential steps" against the Iranians would be developed over the next several weeks. He was not more specific.

The uranium gambit was seen as a way of getting Iran to open up, but on Wednesday Iranian Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki appeared to close that door by saying Iran would not send its uranium abroad. The uranium, if enriched sufficiently, could be used to produce a nuclear weapon, although Iran insists it is intended as fuel to power a planned network of civilian nuclear power reactors.

If, as some suspect, China and perhaps Russia balk at imposing new sanctions on Iran, the U.S. could enact its own penalties and coordinate them with the European Union, as it has done in the past. The administration's first choice, however, is to get the U.N. Security Council to ratchet up the pressure.

One possibility is to strengthen existing U.N. sanctions such as a March 2008 provision for financial monitoring of certain banks with suspected connections to the illicit spread of nuclear technologies.

Both houses of Congress are considering legislation that would give Obama a broad new array of authority to target Iran's energy sector by penalizing foreign companies that sell and ship refined oil products to Iran. Despite Iran's large oil holdings, it has limited capacity to make refined products like gasoline.

Obama has expressed confidence that he can persuade allies to join him in getting tougher on Iran, given widespread opposition to a nuclear-armed Iran. But it's far from clear that China, which has strong and growing commercial and investment ties to Iran, would go along. Russia's intentions also are unclear, although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in September that sanctions may be inevitable.

Stephen P. Cohen, president of the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development, said it's no surprise that China has not publicly expressed a willingness to consider new sanctions, even if it might eventually go along. More significant, Cohen said, are recent Russian statements suggesting possible support.

"This is probably why the president thinks that he can discuss sanctions now without it being blown out of the water within five minutes by the Chinese and the Russians," Cohen said in a telephone interview.

Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, is doubtful of a positive turn of events, in part because he sees the Iranian leadership in turmoil following a disputed presidential election in June.

That might be why, he suggested, Iran has shown little interest in a separate International Atomic Energy Agency offer to provide nuclear fuel for an Iranian research reactor in exchange for Iran's shipping the majority of its low-enriched uranium to Russia or another third country.

"You may have a political system (in Tehran) that is so fractured, that is so at each other's throat, that they are incapable of making a decision of this magnitude," Parsi said.

EDITOR'S NOTE _ Robert Burns has been covering national security and military affairs for The Associated Press since 1990.

 

[Pintu]

The Associated Press: World powers weigh new sanctions for Iran

World powers weigh new sanctions for Iran

By CHARLES HUTZLER and SLOBODAN LEKIC (AP) – 17 hours ago

SEOUL, South Korea — President Barack Obama said Thursday that the six nations dealing with Iran's nuclear program will develop a package of serious new punitive measures in coming weeks. The European Union said the six would gather immediately to begin consultations.

The EU said diplomats would meet in Brussels Friday to consider Iran's apparent rejection of a U.N. plan to ship its low-enriched uranium abroad so that it could not be further enriched to make weapons. Talk of sanctions showed that Obama is preparing for the next phase should Iran fail to meet his year-end deadline for progress in negotiations.

The Brussels meeting will include the U.N. Security Council's permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. — plus Germany, EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said. She said it would bring together foreign ministry officials from the six nations "to take stock of the situation."

Iran announced on Wednesday it would not export its enriched uranium for further processing, effectively rejecting the latest plan brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency. That plan aimed to delay Tehran's ability to build a nuclear weapon by sending most of the uranium needed for that out of the country.

Under the plan, Iran would export its uranium for enrichment in Russia and France where it would be converted into fuel rods, which would be returned to Iran about a year later. The rods can power reactors but cannot be readily turned into weapons-grade material.

President Barack Obama said Washington has started talking with its allies about new punishments against Iran.

"They have been unable to get to 'yes', and so as a consequence, we have begun discussions with our international partners about the importance of having consequences," Obama said at a news conference in Seoul. "Our expectation is, is that over the next several weeks we will be developing a package of potential steps that we could take that will indicate our seriousness to Iran."

In talking tough about possible sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, Obama left open the option that diplomacy could still work. "I continue to hold out the prospect that they may decide to walk through this door" and accept the proposal to ship its low-enriched uranium out of the country, Obama said.

A senior administration official later said Obama was purposely vague on more diplomacy so as not to undermine the search for international consensus that remains in an embryonic phase. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the president's thinking.

The United States and other nations fear Iran wants to build nuclear arms, but Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

"Yesterday, Iran clearly refused the deal," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Thursday. "We are going to evaluate with our partners ... the consequences of this political response."

Any new sanctions would probably take months to enact. China, always reluctant to support sanctions, offered no assurances that it would agree to punish Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki played down the threat of sanctions, saying embargoes have proved ineffective in the past.

"I think they are wise enough not to repeat failed experiences," Mottaki told reporters Thursday in Manila.

In a related development, diplomats in Vienna said IAEA inspectors paid a second visit to Iran's recently revealed Fordo uranium enrichment facility on Thursday.

Iran acknowledged Fordo's existence in September in a confidential letter to the U.N. watchdog, then faced sharp criticism from the U.S., Britain and France for hiding the facility for years. Iran says it is building the fortified facility as a backup in case its main plant at Natanz is attacked.

The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for divulging confidential information.

Lekic reported from Brussels. AP reporters Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Jenny Barchfield in Paris, Oliver Teves in Manila, George Jahn in Vienna and Deb Riechmann in Kabul contributed to this report.

 

[AirforcePilot]

Iran hints it could withdraw from nuclear treaty

A conservative Iranian legislator warned Saturday that his country may pull out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty after a U.N. resolution censuring Tehran — a move that could seriously undermine world attempts to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons.

Iran's official news agency quoted a hardline political analyst who made the same point, another indication the idea could be gaining steam.

If Iran withdraws from the treaty, its nuclear program would no longer be subject to oversight by the U.N. nuclear agency. That in turn would be a significant blow to efforts to ensure that no enriched uranium is diverted from use as fuel to warhead development.

The lawmaker's threat came a day after the board of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution demanding Tehran immediately stop building its newly revealed nuclear facility near the holy city of Qom and freeze uranium enrichment.

"The parliament, in its first reaction to this illegal and politically-motivated resolution, can consider the issue of withdrawing from the NPT," Mohammad Karamirad was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, referring to the treaty. "The parliament ... (also) can block the entry of IAEA inspectors to the country."

Karamirad, a senior lawmaker and member of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, does not speak for the government but his statements often reflect the government's thinking. His threat could be a tactic to warn the West of possible consequences if it pursues further action against Iran, such as strengthened sanctions.

Sunday decision possible
Another hardline lawmaker, Hossein Ebrahimi, was quoted by IRNA as saying that Iran's parliament will discuss the IAEA resolution on Sunday and will make a decision on how to react.

Iran's parliament has issued similar warnings in the past, most recently in 2006 when some lawmakers threatened to pull the country out of the nonproliferation treaty during another time of increased U.N. pressure over Tehran's nuclear program. Iran backed down, and the government has said that it has no intention of withdrawing from the treaty, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology.

Iran's government insists its nuclear program is meant only for peaceful purposes, though the U.S. and other Western nations suspect Tehran is seeking to acquire atomic weapons.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's chief delegate to the U.N. nuclear agency, was also defiant Saturday in the face of the agency's fresh demands, saying on state television that Iran will limit its cooperation with the U.N. watchdog to its treaty obligations and will not cooperate beyond that.

"Our first reaction to this resolution is that they (the U.N. agency) should not expect us to do what we did several times in the past few months when we cooperated beyond our obligations to remove ambiguities," Soltanieh said.

He added that the country's nuclear activities will not be interrupted by resolutions from the U.N. nuclear agency's board, the U.N. Security Council or even the threat of military strikes against the facilities.

Ali Shirzadian, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said his agency his ready to proceed with its nuclear projects.

"Technically speaking, we are fully prepared to produce fuel required for the Tehran reactor. To begin this, we are waiting for the order from top authorities," Shirzadian told the government-run Borna news agency.

Rare resolution
Friday's resolution — and the resulting vote of the IAEA's 35-nation decision-making board — were significant on several counts.

The resolution was approved by 25 members of the 35-nation board — including the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — marking a rare measure of unity from the six world powers on Iran.

Moscow and Beijing have traditionally cautioned against efforts to punish Iran for its defiance over its nuclear program, either preventing new Security Council sanctions or watering down their potency.

The IAEA resolution criticized Iran for defying a U.N. Security Council ban on uranium enrichment — the source of both nuclear fuel and the fissile core of warheads.

It also censured Iran for secretly building a uranium enrichment facility, known as Fordo, and demanded that it immediately suspend further construction.

The resolution noted that IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei cannot confirm that Tehran's nuclear program is exclusively geared toward peaceful uses, and expressed "serious concern" that Iranian stonewalling of an IAEA probe means "the possibility of military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program" cannot be excluded.

The Iranian news agency also quoted hardline political analyst Mahdi Mohammadi as saying that the U.N. agency's resolution was forcing Iran to reconsider its membership in the nonproliferation treaty.

"The attitude of the agency is gradually bringing Iran and the rest of the developing nations to the conclusion that membership in NPT has no benefit but damage and restriction. In this case, the question that will be raised seriously is will continuation of this path serve Iran's national interests?" IRNA quoted him as saying.

Source: AP

 

[AirforcePilot]

Iran Earmarks $20M for Militant Groups Who Oppose West

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian state radio says the country's parliament has approved a bill earmarking $20 million to support militant groups opposing the West.

It was not immediately clear which groups would receive funding from Iran, but Tehran already backs the Islamic militants Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The report says the money will also be used to investigate alleged U.S. and British human rights abuses and plots against Iran.

State radio said Sunday a committee that includes representatives from the intelligence and foreign ministries will decide how to divide the budget.

The move is seen as a reaction to U.S. and British criticism of Iran's violent crackdown on protests after the disputed June presidential election.

Source: FOX NEWS

 

[Yusuf]

Iran threatening to quit the NPT is proof enough that it's not clean in it's intentions. If it's program is entirely clean and only for civilian purpose then it should have no problem complying with it's obligations as a member of NPT and all these resolutions and sanctions passed over the years would not have been required.

The last time a country withdrew from NPT, it conducted nuke tests. If Iran is pursuing nuke weapons then it should just say so and withdraw from the NPT rather than play this game of musical chairs with the international community.

 

[prahladh]

Iran threatening to quit the NPT is proof enough that it's not clean in it's intentions. If it's program is entirely clean and only for civilian purpose then it should have no problem complying with it's obligations as a member of NPT and all these resolutions and sanctions passed over the years would not have been required.

The last time a country withdrew from NPT, it conducted nuke tests. If Iran is pursuing nuke weapons then it should just say so and withdraw from the NPT rather than play this game of musical chairs with the international community.

Why would they?
If they make their intentions clear now that would threaten military action, halting any such program. if they don't, they can pursue their nuke plans until they have a credible nuke force with sovereign as their shield.

 

[sob]

For a country with one of the largest reserves of Gas in the world, it does not make any sense when it says that is pursuing Nuclear technology for producing electricity.

The amount of money spend on the Nuclear technology can be used to harness the Hydorcarbon reserves in the country and use it more efficiently.

It is very clear even to the most dimwitted person that Iran is pursuing nuclear programme for producing Nuclear weapons. It is locked in the leadership struggle for the Islamic world with the Saudis. It has been the main sponsorer of terrorist organistaions like the Hezbollah and the Hamas. This is enough credentials for the world to step in and get them to disarm.

On top of that they have a President whose ambitions run a mile ahead of his country. He has time and again put the future and the security of his citizens in jeopardy to further his own political standing.

Now this gentleman in response to the rap on the knukles by the international community has responded with plans to build 10 more Nuclear facilities which he claims will produce 20,000 MW of electricity in 6 years. With the current economic mess in the country who will be consuming this electricity is the Billion Dollar question. Nor does Iran have an industrial base to support this programme.

Iran plans 10 more large nuclear plants

Two days after the world's atomic energy watchdog rebuked Iran over its nuclear program, the Islamic Republic's Cabinet on Sunday ordered a dramatic expansion of the program that would include 10 more nuclear plants.

If completed, the plan would provide Iran with enough enriched uranium to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity within six years, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency.

But Iran's stated plans often don't square with its capabilities. The oil- and gas-rich Middle East nation of 70 million would need to overcome big economic and technical hurdles to mount so ambitious an expansion of its nuclear program. Currently, Iran has installed about 8,000 centrifuges, of which only about half are producing reactor-grade uranium.

Experts predicted Iran would have a tough time following through with the plan.

"If they actually mean it, given the pace of their production and installation of working centrifuges, we are looking at an extremely costly 20- or 30-year program, at best," said Gary Sick, a professor of Middle East studies at Columbia University who served on the National Security Council during Iran's 1979 revolution. "Words are easy. Implementation is hard."

The plan calls for 10 plants on the scale of a current, industrial-sized facility in Natanz that holds 50,000 centrifuges.

Ahmad Shirzad, a Tehran nuclear scientist and frequent critic of the government, said Iran had neither the industrial ability to create 500,000 centrifuges nor the basic ingredients to operate them. He characterized the announcement as a "political decision to make an impression" on the international community.

"Viewing the industrial development in Iran for the time being, it is not feasible," he said. "Apart from that, we need lots and lots of raw materials, including uranium, many kinds of alloys and so on to be imported from abroad."

Such items could be very difficult for Iran to procure, given the sanctions in place to prevent it from obtaining so-called dual-use materials, which can be used for peaceful purposes, or to build weapons.

Ahmadinejad said the new facilities would incorporate new, more efficient centrifuges, which Iran has not yet employed.

"New high-capacity centrifuges have been designed by the Islamic Republic of Iran that can carry out the task in fewer numbers," he said. "We will use these new centrifuges as soon as they become operational."

The U.S. and its allies criticized Iran's announcement.

"If true, this would be yet another serious violation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that the international community recognizes Iran's right to a civilian nuclear program. "Instead of engaging with us, Iran chooses to provoke and dissemble," he said.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes; the U.S. and its allies fear that Iran is intent on building atomic weapons.

On Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors voted 25-3, with seven abstentions, to condemn Iran's nuclear program. The resolution called on Tehran to halt enrichment, resolve lingering questions about its nuclear activities, open its facilities to further inspection and provide assurances that it is not operating secret nuclear research and development sites.

Iran's parliament issued a statement Sunday asking the government to reduce its cooperation with the IAEA following the censure vote. But Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said the country would not pull out of its treaty obligations, which bar it from pursuing nuclear weapons.

"We pursue our rights and international obligations in equal measures," he said on the sidelines of the Cabinet meeting, according to Mehr.

Iran's assertion that the IAEA censure was politically motivated was bolstered by Egypt, which called the resolution "unbalanced" because it did not address Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons program.

"The resolution did not take into consideration the regional dimension in dealing with the Iranian nuclear dossier, as the resolution should [have] included a clear remark on the importance of dealing with the Israeli nuclear abilities and freeing the Middle East from nuclear weapons," said a statement from Egypt's Foreign Ministry. Cairo abstained from the board of governors' vote.

Uranium enriched to low levels can be used for producing electricity; it must be enriched to much higher levels to provide fuel for a weapon. The 500,000 centrifuges Iran envisions could theoretically produce enough fuel for a bomb every two days.

A U.S.-backed proposal calls on Iran to swap much of its current supply of 5% enriched uranium for 20% enriched fuel rods to operate a Tehran medical research plant. But Iranian officials have not given a definitive response, saying they want a guarantee that they will receive the fuel rods.

Ahmadinejad also said the government would begin studying the possibility of producing its own medical-grade fuel. Iran contends that the world powers are obliged to sell it the medical fuel rods as signatories to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

"We treat the entire world with kindness and friendship," Ahmadinejad said. "However, we are not joking around with anyone, and we do not allow the rights of the Iranian nation to be violated even by one iota."

 

[ppgj]

Iran's nuclear programme started before 1979 Islamic Revolution - Middle East - World - The Times of India

Iran's nuclear programme started before 1979 Islamic Revolution
30 November 2009, 03:34am IST

Why is there such uproar over Iran’s nuclear programme?

Iran’s nuclear programme started 30 years ago, during the rule of the Shah. Though the Shah insisted that Iran was interested only in a nuclear power industry and not in nuclear weapons, US remained wary because of the nuclear proliferation risk. The five nuclear weapons states, the US, Russia, the UK, France and China, along with 189 countries, are signatories to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is meant to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.

India, along with Pakistan, North Korea and Israel have not signed the treaty. The 1974 Indian nuclear test, which caught the US by surprise, only heightened fears of nuclear proliferation. Hence, the US wanted to create significant constraints on any commercial or technical nuclear assistance that it provided Iran to prevent proliferation. While the US pressed Tehran to accept a multinational reprocessing centre to avoid an Iranian domestic capability, Iran stressed its right to reprocess under the NPT. Moreover, US hostility to Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution increased the Iranian regime’s interest in nuclear deterrence.

How did Iran’s nuclear programme progress without US support?

In the early 1990s, Iran’s nuclear programme started progressing with help from Russia, China and Pakistan. By 2003, it became clear that Iran had mastered the technology needed to make enriched uranium, or fissile material, needed for a nuclear weapon.

After mastering the technique of producing enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, a country has to produce a device that could cause the uranium or plutonium to explode in a nuclear chain reaction. This second process is know as weaponization. Iran was accused of conducting many of its nuclear experiments in violation of its agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations. IAEA started conducting inspections but so far there has been no concrete proof of weaponization in the case of Iran. Many reports of the IAEA however, suggest that Iran could be concealing the real purpose of its nuclear programme.

What is India’s position on Iran’s nuclear ambition?

India has earlier abstained from voting against Iran on the nuclear issue as it has traditionally had close ties with Iran. Iran is also an important oil and gas supplier to India. Iran has supported India’s own nuclear ambitions and never supported the economic sanctions imposed on India for its nuclear programme.

However, with its nuclear agreement with the US, India is under pressure to meet its international commitments towards non-proliferation. India could also be worried about the implications of a regime more friendly to Pakistan coming to power in Iran after it acquires nuclear capability. The Iran nuclear issue is a policy dilemma for India as it has to balance any cooperation with the international community to prevent the emergence of another nuclear power with the traditional ties it has with Iran. India also would not want the Muslim world to see it as adopting the very double standards that India itself had accused US and other Western countries of adopting.

What has been the position of Russia and China on Iran’s nuclear issue and why has it changed?

Russia had been firm in its intention to continue aiding Iran in its nuclear programme, which Russia insisted was peaceful. Moscow was still trying to decide whether continuing to help Iran’s nuclear programme would fit in with its own strategy of pushing back against the global dominance of the US. However, the position of Russia has slowly changed recently. Russian president D Medvedev stated that implementation of sanctions against Iran might be inevitable if Iran did not cooperate with the IAEA. Medvedev also said he was not happy with the time Iran was taking to respond to an offer to move its enriched uranium out of the country for further processing.

Similarly, China, which had been a firm supporter of Iran, has gradually shifted under pressure to maintain diplomatic accord with the US. It is also reluctant to take sides with the US against a fellow non-Western nation. Moreover, China, with its growing energy needs, is more concerned about its growing share in Iran’s oil output and has always preferred non-confrontational diplomatic solution to the crisis. Yet, in the IAEA meeting held recently, a resolution was passed condemning Iran for secretly building a uranium enrichment plant and demanding that it freeze construction of the facility. This resolution was voted for by 25 countries that included Russia, China and India.

 

[Daredevil]

Iran earmarks $20 million to support militants

AP

AP Pakistani women rally against Taliban and Islamic militants in Karachi. The rally was organised in protest against Talibans destroying girls schools in the troubled area of Swat in northern Pakistan. File photo: AP.
Iranian state radio says the country’s parliament has approved a bill earmarking $20 million to support militant groups opposing the West.

It was not immediately clear which groups would receive funding from Iran, but Tehran already backs the Islamic militants Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The report says the money will also be used to investigate alleged U.S. and British human rights abuses and plots against Iran.

State radio said on Sunday a committee that includes representatives from the intelligence and foreign ministries will decide how to divide the budget.

The move is seen as a reaction to U.S. and British criticism of Iran’s violent crackdown on protests after the disputed June presidential election.

 

[AirforcePilot]

'Alarming' secret document details Iran's nuclear goals

Source: 'Alarming' secret document details Iran's nuclear goals - CNN.com

London, England (CNN) -- A secret document that appears to show that Iran was working on building nuclear weapons as recently as 2007 is "alarming" and "part of a body of evidence backing up deep concerns over Iran's nuclear program," a Western diplomatic source with knowledge of the papers told CNN on Monday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has a copy of the secret papers, which were also obtained by the Times of London, the source said.

IAEA officials confirm they are investigating the document, but said they have not formally asked Iran for more information about it.

"What it means, essentially, is that the Iranians have been lying to everybody" when they said they were not seeking to build nuclear weapons, said Mehrdad Khonsari, a former Iranian diplomat.

"The only realistic use of this is in a nuclear weapon," said David Albright, the president of the Institute for Science and International Security.

"It shows that either Iran is developing the capability [to build nuclear weapons] or it is moving to implement a bomb program -- and either one is bad," said Albright, who reviewed the document for the Times before the newspaper published its report Sunday.

But Albright warned that the document is edited and has no date on it. The source who gave it to the Times said it was from 2007, but neither the Times nor the ISIS was able to date it definitively, Albright said.

United States intelligence concluded in 2007 that Iran had suspended work on its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Iran denies seeking to build nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear program is for civilian energy and medical research.