Iran reiterates refusal to halt enrichment despite IAEA report, U.S. warning

Source: Xinhuanet | 02-23-2007 19:23

TEHRAN, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran reiterated its refusal to halt uranium enrichment on Thursday, a day after the deadline set bythe United Nations (UN), regardless of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei's report on its defiance and Washington's warning of further punishment.

"Iran considers that a suspension of uranium is contradictory to its rights, the (Nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty and to international regulations," said deputy chief of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Saeedi, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Therefore Iran can not accept UN Security Council Resolution1737 that demands a suspension of uranium enrichment by Wednesday, he said.

Saeedi's comment was Tehran's first reaction to ElBaradei's report that Iran had refused to suspend its uranium-enrichment related activities as demanded by the UN Security Council.

The IAEA chief sent his report to the nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors as well as to the UN Security Council, diplomats at Vienna-based IAEA told Xinhua earlier on Thursday.

In the eagerly awaited report, ElBaradei said that due to the Islamic republic's lack of cooperation, IAEA was still unable to make further progress in its efforts to verify fully the past development of Iran's nuclear program.

Furthermore, the report confirmed that Iran had already installed two cascades of 164 centrifuges in its Natanz enrichment plant to expand research-level enrichment into industrial scale, while another two cascades were close to completion.

"It has also continued with the construction of the Fuel Enrichment Plant, including installation of cascades, and has transferred UF-6 to the plant," said the report.

It added that without more cooperation and transparency from the Islamic republic, the IAEA will be unlikely to realize the peaceful goal in the future.

As soon as received the widely expected report, the United States voiced disappointment by saying that it was looking at new UN action to punish Iran for its defiance of the UN demand.

"We are disappointed that Iran has not complied with Resolution 1737," said White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe on Thursday.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said that Tehran's defiance "is going to leave us in a position of looking at next steps in the council on how to proceed."

"The resolution said that in the light of this report the council would consider other measures if Iran was found not to be in compliance," he said, adding that "And unfortunately that is the path I think we find ourselves on."

Casey also considered Iran's refusal to comply with the UN demand as "a missed opportunity for the Iranian government and the Iranian people."

Moreover, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday that the international community would continue to press Iran to stop its nuclear activities.

"We reconfirmed that we will use our available channels and the Security Council to try and achieve that goal," Rice was quoted assaying after a breakfast meeting in Berlin with the foreign ministers of Germany and Russia as well as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Also on Thursday, just before the IAEA report was released, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said during his official visit in Vienna that he was "deeply concerned that the Iranian government did not meet the deadline set by the Security Council."

He emphasized that "the Iranian government should fully cooperate with the Security Council" as soon as possible.

However, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged on Wednesday that his country would continue its nuclear program, in defiance of the due UN deadline for Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment.

"The enemy is making a big mistake if it thinks it can thwart the will of the Iranian nation to achieve the peaceful use of nuclear technology," Ahmadinejad was quoted by state TV's Website as saying on Wednesday ahead of the 60-day deadline.

The Security Council Resolution 1737 adopted last Dec. 23 gave the Islamic republic 60-day deadline to halt enrichment or face further severe sanctions, such as further financial sanctions and tougher travel ban.

Local observers believe that the UN Security Council might negotiate another resolution, which would likely impose tougher sanctions on Tehran.

Editor:Du Xiaodan