International   

Iran scuppers deal with West on uranium tests

Ian Traynor

Teheran officials fail to attend IAEA meet

Iran is expected to resume testing machinery next week that can be used to make weapons-grade uranium in a move that appears calculated to scupper the prospects of a settlement of its long-running nuclear dispute with the West.

Senior Iranian officials on Thursday snubbed Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, by failing to show up at a scheduled meeting in Vienna after the IAEA chief demanded an explanation of Iran's plans.

Earlier this week, Teheran told the IAEA that it was resuming research into nuclear fuel which was suspended more than two years ago, but refused to supply details on what kind of research.

Iranian officials flew from Teheran to Vienna on Thursday to brief Mr ElBaradei, but then decided against doing so in a move that baffled diplomats and IAEA officials.

A senior official familiar with the details of the exchanges between the IAEA and Iran earlier in the week said Iran would probably resume work next week with uranium centrifuges, work that has been frozen for 30 months under the terms of negotiations with Britain, Germany and France.

``They suspended certain activities and now they have decided to resume certain activities,'' said the senior official.

``All those activities were enrichment-related. It sounds like they will start some experiments with centrifuges.''

Breach of orders

Such a step would be in breach of previous IAEA orders that Iran suspend ``all uranium enrichment-related activities'' and of the terms of the negotiating agreement between Iran and Britain, Germany, and France.

It could deal a death blow to the long-running but currently deadlocked negotiations and may reflect the more aggressive and confrontational positions taken on foreign policy and the nuclear issue by Iran's new President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signalled growing impatience with Iran, indicating that time is running out for it to avoid being brought before the U.N. Security Council.

``When it's clear that negotiations are exhausted, we have the votes,'' she told reporters. ``There is a resolution sitting there for referral. We'll vote it. That's not sabre rattling, that's diplomacy ... and diplomacy includes what you do in the Security Council.''

Russian officials were due to travel to Teheran this weekend to try to cobble together a compromise on Iran's uranium enrichment projects.

It is not clear whether the visit will go ahead. The E.U. troika was also scheduled to restart exploratory talks with the Iranians in a fortnight. Those also now look in jeopardy. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Japan to consult U.S. on U.N. Council seat
Sharon undergoes emergency surgery
Admits to "drink'' problem
Blair regime exploiting soldiers' deaths: families
Iran scuppers deal with West on uranium tests
Third child dies of bird flu in Turkey
U.S. envoy escapes attempt on life
Yao Wenyuan dead
Hurriyat leaders call on Musharraf
Media attention on Clemenceau

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu