Europeans: Refer Iran to U.N.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Europeans: Refer Iran to U.N.

Thursday, January 12, 2006; Posted: 12:19 p.m. EST (17:19 GMT)

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Britain, France and Germany have called for the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog to refer Iran to the Security Council over the country's atomic ambitions.

Foreign ministers from the European Union's three biggest nations -- the so-called EU3 -- met Thursday following Iran's moves to restart its nuclear program.

"Our talks with Iran have reached a dead end," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters after meeting with his British and French counterparts, Jack Straw and Philippe Douste-Blazy, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Straw said the group decided to call for an emergency session of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to vote on referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council.

The ministers did not say exactly what action should be taken by the Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

The decision by the EU3 marks the end of more than two years of diplomatic efforts to convince Iran to abandon its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, officials in London and Moscow said envoys from the EU3 will meet counterparts from China, Russia and the United States next week in London to discuss the issue further.

Iran, which broke U.N. seals on its nuclear enrichment facility this week, insists it only wants to develop a civilian nuclear power program in accordance with international law.

But several Western countries fear Tehran's clerical regime is intent on developing a nuclear bomb.

Russia, which is building a nuclear reactor in Iran, also has expressed "deep disappointment" over Iran's decision, The Associated Press reported.

A Foreign Ministry statement outlining a phone call between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said both sides shared "a deep disappointment over Tehran's decision to leave behind the moratorium on all activities tied with uranium enrichment, resuming research work in this sphere."

The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal reported that during the call, Lavrov told Rice that Russia would abstain, rather than vote against, efforts to move the issue from the IAEA -- the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog -- to the Security Council.

China, which imports significant amounts of Iranian oil, said it hoped Iran would return to talks on the nuclear dispute and urged all parties to exercise restraint.

"We hope Iran can do more to promote mutual confidence between itself and the EU3, and return to negotiations," Reuters quoted a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, Kong Quan, as saying.

'Small-scale' enrichment work
Iran's move was announced Tuesday by Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, who said: "Nuclear research officially resumed at sites agreed upon with (U.N.) inspectors."

He said Iran was not resuming the production of nuclear fuel, a process that would involve uranium enrichment.

"We differentiate nuclear fuel production with research and access to technology," he said. "Suspension of nuclear fuel production will be continued in the country."

But Mohammed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, told his agency's governing board that Iran intended to begin "small-scale" uranium enrichment work, Reuters said.

"Iran plans to install a small-scale gas ultracentrifuge cascade in its pilot fuel enrichment plant at Natanz," a Western diplomat told Reuters, reading from ElBaradei's report to the 35-nation board of the IAEA.

Citing the report, the diplomat said that Iran planned to feed a small amount of uranium hexafluoride into centrifuges -- machines that purify uranium for use in nuclear power plants or weapons -- as part its research work on the devices

The diplomat's comments came as one of Iran's former opposition leaders claimed that the country had secretly produced 5,000 centrifuges at its underground facility in Natanz.

Alireza Jafarzadeh offered no proof. But he added that Iran was also constructing centrifuge cascade platforms at the facility. If Iran possesses the necessary knowledge, the centrifuges could be mounted on the platforms and used to produce highly enriched uranium.

Once the machines are fully operational, Jafarzadeh said, Iran would be "only months away from having enough fissile material for at least one nuclear bomb."

Jafarzadeh -- who would not divulge his source, saying only that it was within the Iranian regime -- called for an emergency meeting of the IAEA board of governors to send the issue of Iran's non-compliance to the U.N. Security Council.

Diplomat: Centrifuges corroded
On Thursday, a Western diplomat who is close to the IAEA told Reuters that Iran had completed the removal of U.N. seals on its nuclear fuel research sites but would need time to refurbish machinery before it could start enriching uranium.

The diplomat said the Iranians would probably have to rebuild their entire cascade of enrichment centrifuges.

"There's a lot of humidity, corrosion. It's going to take a long time," Reuters quoted him as saying.

This is the second time that IAEA seals have been removed in Iran. In August, researchers unsealed equipment at its Isfahan plant and resumed uranium conversion activities.

Uranium conversion is a first step towards uranium enrichment, which could lead to the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Iran's hard-line conservative government insists its nuclear programs have peaceful aims, and it has the right to restart nuclear facilities and enrich uranium for the production of nuclear energy.

Other nations, however, including the U.S., fear Tehran's true goal is to produce nuclear weapons.

Those fears have been reinforced by recent comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has said Israel should be wiped out.

Iran vowed Thursday to press ahead with the nuclear program despite the threat of U.N. referral.

"Unfortunately, a group of bullies allows itself to deprive nations of their legal and natural rights," AP quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

"I tell those superpowers that, with strength and prudence, Iran will pave the way to achieving peaceful nuclear energy," he said. "The Iranian nation is not frightened by the powers and their noise."

Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview that Iran doesn't want to get into enrichment on any large scale, and insists its activities are for research purposes only.

Larijani said he hopes sanctions are not pursued, as Tehran believes room for negotiation with the West remains.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Yup...here we go again.....

Iran threat to block inspections

Friday, January 13, 2006; Posted: 7:42 a.m. EST (12:42 GMT)

(CNN) -- Tehran is threatening to block inspections of its nuclear sites if a dispute over its atomic activity is sent to the U.N. Security Council.

Iran would be obliged to stop working with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, if the nation was referred, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Friday.

The move reflects a law passed last year requiring the government to stop cooperation if Iran's nuclear program was sent to the council.

This would mean, among other things, the end of random inspections.

On Thursday U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice backed Germany, France, and Britain in saying Iran should be sent to the council over its refusal to halt its nuclear activity.

Rice called on the United Nations Thursday to confront Iran over what she called its defiance over its nuclear program and slammed the nation for its "deliberate escalation of this issue."

The decision to take the dispute to the next level marks the end of more than two years of diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program. But U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says Iran is still interested in serious negotiations.

Iran broke U.N. seals on its nuclear enrichment facility this week. It has long insisted its nuclear programs have peaceful aims, and it has the right to restart its facilities in accordance with international law.

But several Western countries, including the United States, fear Tehran is intent on developing a nuclear bomb. Those fears have been reinforced recently by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has said Israel should be wiped out.

Foreign ministers from the European Union's three biggest nations -- the so-called EU3 -- met Thursday following Iran's moves to restart its nuclear program.

"Our talks with Iran have reached a dead end," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after meeting with British and French counterparts, Jack Straw and Philippe Douste-Blazy, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. (Watch what option remains after diplomacy and force -- 2:56)

Straw said the group decided to call for an emergency session with the board of the IAEA to vote on referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council.

The European ministers did not say exactly what action should be taken by the Security Council, which could impose sanctions, but officials in London and Moscow said envoys from the EU3 would meet counterparts from China, Russia and the U.S. next week to discuss the issue further.

As well as possible economic sanctions there have been calls for cultural and sports boycotts, including the banning of Iran from soccer's 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The calls resurfaced Friday as Bayern Munich played a friendly in Iran against Persepolis Tehran, to criticism in Germany. (Full story)

France said Friday that it favored a step-by-step approach over Iran's contested nuclear program and that any sanctions request at this stage would be premature.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said France's priority for now is convening a special session of the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council.

The Security Council could decide to sanction Iran. But Mattei did not prejudge what action the council might take.

He said France, Britain and Germany regard any sanctions request as being "premature for the moment."

"We'll see what happens at the Security Council," he said in a telephone interview with Ths Associated Press. "One step at a time."

However, in an interview with BBC radio Friday, Britain's Straw said sanctions were possible. "Obviously, if Iran failed to comply, the Security Council would then consider sanctions," he said.

Russia meanwhile renewed its call for Iran to resume its moratorium on nuclear activities and cooperation with the IAEA. (Full story)

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Rice said Iran's action "demonstrates that it has chosen confrontation with the international community over cooperation and negotiation."

A statement outlining a phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Rice said both sides shared "a deep disappointment over Tehran's decision."

The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal reported that during the call, Lavrov told Rice that Russia would abstain, rather than vote against, efforts to move the issue from the IAEA to the Security Council.

China, which imports significant amounts of Iranian oil, said it hoped Tehran would return to talks on the dispute and urged all parties to exercise restraint.

"We hope Iran can do more to promote mutual confidence between itself and the EU3, and return to negotiations," Reuters quoted a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, Kong Quan, as saying.

'Avoid escalation'
Tehran's move was announced Tuesday by Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, who said: "Nuclear research officially resumed at sites agreed upon with (U.N.) inspectors."

He said Iran was not resuming the production of nuclear fuel, a process that would involve uranium enrichment.

Iran's representative on the nuclear issue, Ali Larijani, told CNN that while negotiations can continue, "the question of our research is non-negotiable.".

Annan called Larijani on Thursday to tell him to "avoid escalation, to exercise restraint," to which he responded they "are interested in serious and constructive negotiations, but within a timeframe."

This is the second time IAEA seals have been removed in Iran. In August, researchers unsealed equipment at its Isfahan plant and resumed uranium conversion activities.

Uranium conversion is a first step towards uranium enrichment, which could lead to the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Despite the threat of U.N. referral, Iran has vowed to press ahead.

"Unfortunately, a group of bullies allows itself to deprive nations of their legal and natural rights," AP quoted President Ahmadinejad as saying.

"I tell those superpowers that, with strength and prudence, Iran will pave the way to achieving peaceful nuclear energy," he said. "The Iranian nation is not frightened by the powers and their noise."

Considering our present situation....I say pull a Clinton and just bomb the living f*** out of the nuclear facility so Iran knows the US means business. Mark my words...the UN isn't going to do anything to stop Iran (just like they did with Iraq). Only this time it looks like the rest of the EU is on our side thus far. I'm sure Israel will play a major role with this as well.

[Bubba]

Iran's nuclear capability is spread out and we don't know for sure where anything is. There is no viable military option.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Iran's nuclear capability is spread out and we don't know for sure where anything is. There is no viable military option.

You may be right, but hopefully the UN is more proactive this time around in enforcing sanctions (if there are any) rather than letting violations occur with no reprocussions

[tyrolean_skier]

Iran's nuclear capability is spread out and we don't know for sure where anything is. There is no viable military option.

You may be right, but hopefully the UN is more proactive this time around in enforcing sanctions (if there are any) rather than letting violations occur with no reprocussions.

I think you must mean repercussions since there is no such word as reprocussion.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Iran's nuclear capability is spread out and we don't know for sure where anything is. There is no viable military option.

You may be right, but hopefully the UN is more proactive this time around in enforcing sanctions (if there are any) rather than letting violations occur with no reprocussions.

I think you must mean repercussions since there is no such word as reprocussion.

Correct....I don't use spell check prior to posting

[tyrolean_skier]

Iran's nuclear capability is spread out and we don't know for sure where anything is. There is no viable military option.

You may be right, but hopefully the UN is more proactive this time around in enforcing sanctions (if there are any) rather than letting violations occur with no reprocussions.

I think you must mean repercussions since there is no such word as reprocussion.

Correct....I don't use spell check prior to posting

I don't use spell check either but then I have always been pretty good at spelling. :)

[XtremeJibber2001]

Iran's nuclear capability is spread out and we don't know for sure where anything is. There is no viable military option.

You may be right, but hopefully the UN is more proactive this time around in enforcing sanctions (if there are any) rather than letting violations occur with no reprocussions.

I think you must mean repercussions since there is no such word as reprocussion.

Correct....I don't use spell check prior to posting

I don't use spell check either but then I have always been pretty good at spelling. :)

That may be true; however, if we're going to be picky, I'd like to point out your poor sentence structure in your previous response.

I believe your sentence should have gone as follows:

"I don't use spell check either, but then again, I have always been pretty good at spelling. :)"

Let bygones be bygones