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Pressure builds on Iran to accept nuclear deal
Vienna (AFP) Nov 2, 2009 World powers on Monday pressured Iran to accept a UN-brokered nuclear deal, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the country was at a "pivotal moment" to show it did not want to be isolated. As Iran said it wanted a review of the proposed deal, Britain and Russia urged it to accept the offer and France warned "delaying tactics" will not be tolerated. Pressure on the Islamic republic to accept the deal increased as Iran also indicated it prefers to buy nuclear fuel supplies directly rather than send its own uranium abroad for further enrichment. Tehran's latest stance came as its close ally Moscow urged acceptance of the high-profile proposal which aims to apply the brakes to Iran's galloping nuclear programme. "This is a pivotal moment for Iran," Clinton said. "Acceptance fully of this proposal would be a good indication that Iran does not wish to be isolated and does wish to cooperate. "We urge Iran to accept the proposal ... (that) they agreed to in principle." International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei called on Iran to deliver its response. "I urge Iran to be as forthcoming as possible in responding soon to my recent proposal," he said at the United Nations, and also appealed for all sides to make compromises. Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, visiting Malaysia, called for a review of the proposed deal. "We have considered this proposal, we have some technical and economic considerations on that," he told reporters. "Two days ago we passed our views and observations to the IAEA, so it is very much possible to establish a technical commission to review and reconsider all these issues." Mottaki added that Iran will "continue enrichment" of uranium for nuclear power stations requiring fuel. Earlier Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the IAEA, told AFP in Vienna: "We are ready to buy the fuel from any supplier under the full surveillance of the IAEA, as we bought from Argentina about 20 years ago with the cooperation of the IAEA." He did not clarify whether Iran was rejecting the UN draft plan, which proposes shipping Tehran's low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further processing and conversion into fuel. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the six world powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear fuel programme will not tolerate delaying tactics. "If the Iranian response is to stall, as it seems to be, we will not accept this," he told journalists in Paris. World powers back the draft as they fear Tehran could enrich its existing LEU to very high levels under the pretext of making fuel for a Tehran reactor, and use it to produce atomic weapons. Tehran denies it wants a nuclear bomb. Soltanieh said Iran is ready for another meeting in Vienna to discuss the technical details of acquiring nuclear fuel. "We expect that like any other country, we will be able to buy and pay for it without any other condition, under the IAEA full scope safeguards, of course," he said. Iran has delayed signing the UN-drafted deal amid opposition from some leaders who suspect the US-backed proposal will ultimately lead to the suspension of Tehran's uranium enrichment work. Enrichment is the most controversial aspect of its nuclear project as the enriched material can be used both to fuel civilian reactors and also to make the core of an atomic bomb. Mottaki said Iran still has three options for obtaining the fuel it needs: buying directly from other nations, further enriching LEU on its own, or having the fuel processed by another country. Britain and Russia demanded that Iran give a prompt response to the UN-drafted deal, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in Moscow. "We both want to see a prompt response from the Iranian regime in respect to the Tehran research reactor proposal," he told a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov said Russia, which is closer to Iran than any other world power, is counting on Tehran to approve the deal thrashed out in Vienna with representatives of Iran, Russia, France and the United States. "This meeting ended with an agreement... which we are counting on all the participants, without exceptions, to approve, including Iran," he said.
related report Western governments fear Iran is seeking to develop an atomic bomb but Tehran insists its nuclear programme is aimed solely at producing energy. 2005 - Aug 8: Iran resumes uranium conversion activities at Isfahan. The activities had been suspended since November 2004. - Sept 17: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad affirms Iran's right to "master" the nuclear cycle. 2006 - Jan 10: Iran breaks IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) seals at its Natanz nuclear research facility. -- Dec 23: The UN Security Council votes to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology. Iran vows to press ahead with enrichment. 2007 - April 9: Ahmadinejad says Iran can produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale. 2008 - June 14: EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana hands an offer from world powers to Iran on ending the nuclear crisis. - June 23: EU nations agree new sanctions, notably banning the country's largest bank, Bank Melli, from operating in the bloc. 2009 - August 28: Iran is still defying the UN Security Council and has so far amassed around 1,500 kilos of low-enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6), the UN atomic watchdog says. - Sept 25: The IAEA says Iran sent it a letter on September 21 to say it was building a second uranium enrichment plant, sparking the fury of Western leaders who demand immediate access to the facility and threaten tough new sanctions. - Sept 27: Iran test-fires three short-range missiles and two medium-range missiles as the Islamic republic begins war games, an act which further outrages Western powers. - Oct 1: World powers hold nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva. Tehran says it will allow UN access to its new uranium enrichment plant. - Oct 21: The IAEA hands Iran and world powers a draft deal proposing that Iran ships out most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium for further processing by Russia following talks in Vienna. - Oct 23: The UN draft deal is endorsed by France, Russia and the United States, while Iran postpones its response. - Oct 25: UN inspectors arrive to inspect Iran's controversial second uranium enrichment plant built inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran. - Nov 2: Iran calls for a review of the UN draft deal and says it is prepared to purchase fuel from any world producer under IAEA supervision. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Street protests expected as Iran marks US embassy seizureTehran (AFP) Nov 2, 2009 Street protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are expected on Wednesday as Iran marks the 30th anniversary of the capture of US embassy at a time when it is engaged in high-profile nuclear dialogue backed by Washington. November 4 has emerged as an anti-US day in Iran, with thousands of Iranians, mostly students, gathering annually outside the US embassy building, dubbed the 'Den of ... read more |
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