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Iran firm on enrichment

Atul Aneja

DUBAI: Iran has said it would not accept suspension of uranium enrichment as a precondition for resuming talks, despite a looming threat of fresh sanctions. Iranian leaders across the board are united on ruling out a freeze in uranium enrichment as the basis for reviving their stalled nuclear dialogue.

However, hardliners led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the moderate conservatives represented by the former President, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, differ over the course of action, in case the dialogue with the West resumed under a new format. At a rally on Friday, Mr. Ahmadinejad said, "The great Iranian people are resisting the oppressors and will not concede one iota." Mr. Rafsanjani was less confrontationist during his sermon in Tehran, following Friday prayers. He said Western countries were preparing for tough action.

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