Posted on 01/23/2006 6:19:51 PM PST by NormsRevenge
VIENNA, Austria - Iran upped the ante Monday in its nuclear standoff, warning that it will immediately begin developing a full-scale uranium enrichment program if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council.
The message, delivered by Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh, Iran's senior envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, reflected Tehran's defiance in the face of growing international pressure over its nuclear program. Enrichment can be used in electricity production but it is also a pathway to making nuclear weapons.
Negotiations intensified ahead of a Feb. 2 meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board to decide on referral.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, planned to travel to Moscow on Tuesday to discuss a proposal to have Iran's uranium enriched in Russia, then returned to Iran for use in the country's reactors — a compromise that would provide more oversight and ease tensions.
A European official said the two sides would discuss the possibility of allowing Iran to conduct small-scale experimental enrichment itself if it agreed to move all industrial production to Russia.
The official, who demanded anonymity in exchange for discussing confidential details of the negotiations, refused to say whether Britain, France and Germany — the key European nations behind the U.S.-supported push for referral — would tolerate such a deal.
Those European nations and EU representatives also intensified diplomatic efforts, with diplomats telling the AP they were sending senior representatives to Brazil, Russia, China and Indonesia to persuade the key IAEA board members to drop their opposition to referral.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday called for a step-by-step diplomatic approach in the standoff, saying she wants "the largest majority possible" for whatever course of action is decided upon by the IAEA.
While the Europeans believe they have enough votes to get Iran hauled before the council Feb. 2, they want broad support, including from key developing countries as well as skeptics Russia and China.
In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said "referral absolutely has to be made" on Feb. 2, while remaining vague on what action the Security Council would take — and when.
Iran removed IAEA seals from equipment Jan. 10 and announced it would restart experiments, including what it described as small-scale enrichment — a move that led the European negotiators to call for the Feb. 2 emergency board session.
The Europeans also began drafting a resolution calling for the Security Council to press Tehran to re-impose its freeze on enrichment and fully cooperate with the U.N. agency in its investigation of suspect nuclear activities — though it stops short of asking for sanctions.
Soltaniyeh, in comments to The Associated Press, warned against referral, suggesting such a "hasty decision" would backfire.
Whether Iran's suspension of its full-scale enrichment program remains in effect "depends on the decision of Feb. 2," he said. If the board votes for referral, he said, Iran would resume efforts to fully develop its nascent enrichment activities.
Iran insists its nuclear ambitions do not go beyond wanting to generate fuel, but concerns are growing that its focus is on making nuclear weapons.
An exchange of letters, made available to the AP Monday, reflected differences over Iran between IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei and the United States, Britain, France and Australia — other key supporters of referral.
In a letter dated Friday, Gregory L. Schulte, the chief U.S. representative to the IAEA, asked ElBaradei to prepare a report on the "status of IAEA efforts to investigate indications of an Iranian nuclear weapons program." Similar letters from the other countries were dated Thursday and Monday.
In a reply Monday, ElBaradei wrote that a detailed report would only be available in March, the next scheduled meeting of the IAEA board. Instead, ElBaradei — who had argued against the special Feb.2 meeting saying he needed until March to probe Iran's nuclear program — offered an "update brief" for the Feb. 2 meeting.
Separately, Merkel, speaking at a news conference with President Jacques Chirac, defended the French leader's threat last week that France might use its nuclear weapons against state-sponsored terrorism or to thwart an attack involving weapons of mass destruction — comments that drew criticism from elsewhere in Europe and from Iran.
"We know that France is a country with nuclear capabilities, capabilities that exist exclusively for deterrence and, for me, there are no grounds there for criticism," she said.
Chirac said he had simply delivered a reminder of France's nuclear doctrine.
"The nature of the threat, the defintion of a country's vital interests, and thus the very nature of the response that might be employed, evolves with time," he said.
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On the Net: http://www.iaea.org
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, meeting with Qatar's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabar ai-Thani, in Tehran, Iran on Monday Jan. 23, 2006. Iran will immediately retaliate if referred to the U.N. Security Council next week by forging ahead with developing a full-scale uranium enrichment program, Tehran's senior envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday. (AP Photo/str)
Mass production of Viagra?
Iran thread posted earlier on FR
Iran threatens to start “industrial-scale” nuclear works ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1563251/posts
article link
http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5433
They are tremendously over playing their hand. Things work in mysterious ways sometimes -
"HI! I'm Mr W-88 and I'm here to help you become 'uranium enriched' on a very, very large scale." :)
If the Iranian mullahs had the gratitude of a paramecium, they'd name their nuclear bomb program after Jimmy Carter.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can't seem to keep
his hands away from his crotch.
Iran upped the ante Monday in its nuclear standoff, warning that it will immediately begin developing a full-scale uranium enrichment program if it is referred to the U.N. Security Council.
That will happen regardless of any UN action.
They probably realized the U.S. had done that when we did nothing to North Korea after they declared they had nukes.
"In the December 2004 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, James Fallows reported that numerous high-level war-gaming sessions had recently been completed by Sam Gardiner, a retired Air Force colonel who has run war games at the National War College for the past two decades. Col. Gardiner summarized the outcome of these war games with this statement, “After all this effort, I am left with two simple sentences for policymakers: You have no military solution for the issues of Iran. And you have to make diplomacy work.”
Get used to another muslim nation with nukes, and pray for Musharraf's health.
To me, it looks like the Foreign Minister is giving the Iranian
President the finger.
How else to explain the arrogance of these fanatics?
They are tremendously over playing their hand.
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Yes, they are. They don't realize they have a HUGE bulls-eye painted on them. Maybe God does work in strange ways. The world does not need Iran under the radical mullah rule.
Completely different situation for a variety of reasons. But I hear your sentiment -
I don't see Iran with a nuclear bomb -
I think it is just a matter of time since they've decided to do it and have the raw materials. No one is interested in taking Iranian oil off the market. No one is interested in the price associated with Iran retaliating to an attack by restricting the flow of oil through the Straits of Hormuz.
There are no good options, and striking militarily runs a risk of failure that only worsens our own position. The Big Stick works best when you don't have to swing it.
There are no good options, and striking militarily runs a risk of failure that only worsens our own position. The Big Stick works best when you don't have to swing it.
While I can completely agree with your overall premise (intellectually) I still don't see Iran with a nuclear weapon with this CIC, VP and SecDef -
Without a doubt any extended military situation would drastically hurt the oil flow throughout the World. Though I don't see Iran controlling the Straits of Hormuz (we'd keep that opened) - Though they very well would shut down their own oil production / outflow - (which is currently around 15% of world production if I'm not mistaken).
Again, I don't see Iran with a nuclear weapon...and we haven't really seen shock and awe ~
"Iran will immediately retaliate if referred to the U.N. Security Council next week by forging ahead with developing a full-scale uranium enrichment program, Tehran's senior envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday."
This is precisely the kind of logic that will get Iran kicked off. Instead of playing coy and buying for time with Russia and China as his toothless goon supporters, this idiot is going way, way out on a limb. Last I checked, this sort of strategery works occasionally against kids bigger than you in school who never have to actually fight anyone, but I DO NOT think it's going to work against the United States. I don't care how "over-extended" this guy's Islamic fanatic advisors tell him we are, if we don't do it ourselves, Israel will have no choice. After all, would you want someone who publicly claims you need to be wiped off the map having a nuclear weapon? The Israelis have been pretty silent on this issue thus far. One could read into that whatever they wish. I don't think it's because of Sharon's health and the lack of a bona fide Prime Minister. I think it's because they are in the nuts and bolts stage of planning a pre-emptive strike and then preparing for whatever WMD counter-attack might come from Hamas. That could also be why the US has said relatively little on the subject as well. Given Cheney's involvement in the middle east during the first Gulf War, I'll bet he is heavily involved right now trying to figure out exactly what role the US and Europe will play in this and what role the Israelis will play. That's my guess.
That's probably their thinking, and it does make sense.
But, on the other hand, they could show a little gratitude. After all, they owe everything to Peanut-brain.
Maybe the answer would be to occupy Iran's oil fields and deprive them of that source of income. They have NO other cash cow. They will have a heck of time trying to continue their nuclear development if they have no oil income and no oil to run their power plants.
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