Die of anger, defiant Iran tells the West
By Anne Penketh and Angus McDowall
The Independent/UK
14 April 2006
Iran kept up its defiant rhetoric after the head of the international
nuclear agency urged Iranian leaders to co-operate in reining in
sensitive activities that have raised suspicions that they are bent on
building a bomb.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, was circumspect after holding talks with Iranian
nuclear experts aimed at heading off a growing crisis over Iran’s
nuclear ambitions. But there was no apparent breakthrough.
He confirmed that he had discussed with his Iranian hosts a UN
proposal for Iran to resume a freeze on uranium enrichment until
questions over the full extent of its nuclear programme have been
resolved.
However, the chief Iranian nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, indicated
suspension was not an option during a joint news conference with Mr
ElBaradei. “Such proposals are not very important ones,” he said.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a typically inflammatory
statement only hours before Mr ElBaradei arrived in Tehran. “Our
answer to those who are angry about Iran obtaining the full nuclear
cycle is one phrase, we say: Be angry and die of this anger,” he said.
“We will not hold talks with anyone about the Iranian nation’s right
(to enrichment) and no one has the right to step back, even one iota.”
Mr ElBaradei went to Tehran as he prepares to report back to the UN
Security Council at the end of the month on Iranian compliance with
IAEA and UN demands. If Iran continues its defiant stand, it risks
increased diplomatic pressure from the UN although Russia and China –
Iran’s allies on the council – are adamant that sanctions should not
be imposed.
Uranium enrichment is the key to developing the fuel for a reactor or
for a nuclear weapon. Although Iran insists that its intentions are
peaceful, the announcement on Tuesday that its scientists had enriched
uranium prompted a chorus of international condemnation.
Even Russia and China, urged Iran to resume its uranium enrichment
freeze.
Estimates vary as to how long it would take Iran to produce a nuclear
bomb, which requires 90 per cent levels of enriched uranium but it is
at least two years away. So far, Iran says it has only mastered the
technology for enriching uranium to the 3 per cent needed for reactor
fuel.
The timeline for building a weapon depends on Iran’s ability to
operate large numbers of spinning centrifuges that enrich uranium but
which are unreliable. Nuclear experts say it would take 200
centrifuges at full capacity for six to nine months to make sufficient
highly enriched uranium for a bomb – without the IAEA safeguards that
are in place.
Iran has announced that it had enriched uranium using 164 centrifuges
at its Natanz plant. Mr ElBaradei said yesterday that IAEA inspectors
had taken samples but was unable to confirm Iran’s claim.
Iran also reaffirmed on Wednesday that it intends to move toward
large-scale uranium enrichment involving 3,000 centrifuges by late
2006, and then expand the programme to 54,000 centrifuges. However, no
time-frame was given.
Mr ElBaradei said yesterday that the IAEA inspectors had “not seen
diversion of nuclear material for weapons purposes but the picture is
still hazy and not very clear”. He noted that Iran had failed to come
clean on the full extent of its activities for 20 years.
Mr ElBaradei also held talks with Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran’s
Atomic Energy Organisation. He did not meet Mr Ahmadinejad, or Iranian
spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has supreme authority over
the nuclear programme, which has become a matter of national pride.
Iran kept up its defiant rhetoric after the head of the international
nuclear agency urged Iranian leaders to co-operate in reining in
sensitive activities that have raised suspicions that they are bent on
building a bomb.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, was circumspect after holding talks with Iranian
nuclear experts aimed at heading off a growing crisis over Iran’s
nuclear ambitions. But there was no apparent breakthrough.
He confirmed that he had discussed with his Iranian hosts a UN
proposal for Iran to resume a freeze on uranium enrichment until
questions over the full extent of its nuclear programme have been
resolved.
However, the chief Iranian nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, indicated
suspension was not an option during a joint news conference with Mr
ElBaradei. “Such proposals are not very important ones,” he said.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued a typically inflammatory
statement only hours before Mr ElBaradei arrived in Tehran. “Our
answer to those who are angry about Iran obtaining the full nuclear
cycle is one phrase, we say: Be angry and die of this anger,” he said.
“We will not hold talks with anyone about the Iranian nation’s right
(to enrichment) and no one has the right to step back, even one iota.”
Mr ElBaradei went to Tehran as he prepares to report back to the UN
Security Council at the end of the month on Iranian compliance with
IAEA and UN demands. If Iran continues its defiant stand, it risks
increased diplomatic pressure from the UN although Russia and China –
Iran’s allies on the council – are adamant that sanctions should not
be imposed.
Uranium enrichment is the key to developing the fuel for a reactor or
for a nuclear weapon. Although Iran insists that its intentions are
peaceful, the announcement on Tuesday that its scientists had enriched
uranium prompted a chorus of international condemnation. Even Russia
and China, urged Iran to resume its uranium enrichment freeze.
Estimates vary as to how long it would take Iran to produce a nuclear
bomb, which requires 90 per cent levels of enriched uranium but it is
at least two years away. So far, Iran says it has only mastered the
technology for enriching uranium to the 3 per cent needed for reactor
fuel.
The timeline for building a weapon depends on Iran’s ability to
operate large numbers of spinning centrifuges that enrich uranium but
which are unreliable. Nuclear experts say it would take 200
centrifuges at full capacity for six to nine months to make sufficient
highly enriched uranium for a bomb – without the IAEA safeguards that
are in place.
Iran has announced that it had enriched uranium using 164 centrifuges
at its Natanz plant. Mr ElBaradei said yesterday that IAEA inspectors
had taken samples but was unable to confirm Iran’s claim.
Iran also reaffirmed on Wednesday that it intends to move toward
large-scale uranium enrichment involving 3,000 centrifuges by late
2006, and then expand the programme to 54,000 centrifuges. However, no
time-frame was given.
Mr ElBaradei said yesterday that the IAEA inspectors had “not seen
diversion of nuclear material for weapons purposes but the picture is
still hazy and not very clear”. He noted that Iran had failed to come
clean on the full extent of its activities for 20 years.
Mr ElBaradei also held talks with Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran’s
Atomic Energy Organisation. He did not meet Mr Ahmadinejad, or Iranian
spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has supreme authority over
the nuclear programme, which has become a matter of national pride.