Saturday, November 7, 2009

No enriched uranium exchange: Iran's MP

Member of Parliament Alaeddin Boroujerdi

A senior Iranian parliamentarian says Iran will not exchange its domestically manufactured low-enriched uranium with the West to resupply the Tehran research reactor (TRR).

The Chief of Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, told the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) on Saturday: “giving the 3.5 percent enriched uranium to receive 20 percent enriched fuel for Tehran’s research reactor, whether gradually or all at once, is called off.”

Boroujerdi went on to say that Iran and nuclear fuel supplier countries must find an alternative way to provide Tehran’s research reactor with fuel. “Presently, Mr. Soltanieh is in talks to find an approach for the issue.”

In addition, responding to remarks made by some Western officials that a response to the IAEA brokered deal as it now stands is required in two days time, Boroujerdi responded that the West cannot impose a deadline on Iran.

On Friday Iran said it is preparing to give more details on its response to the international proposals for supplying nuclear fuel and expects more negotiations.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran would give the additional details to the IAEA following the initial response it gave on October 29.

"We have some more details which we have to give to the International Atomic Energy Agency," state television quoted Mottaki on its website as saying.

"We have three options -- enrich the fuel ourselves, buy it directly or exchange our uranium for fuel," he said.

"They (the IAEA and the major powers) have to choose from these options. Given the need of Iran to have the fuel, my view is that they will accept another round of discussions."

4 comments:

Nader Uskowi said...

Important to note that Boroujerdi had earlier suggested that Iran might not want to send all the LEU in one batch but instead in consignments of smaller batches. His remarks today shut the door for such compromise.

With the hardening of Iran's position on a nuclear deal with the West, Russia will come under great pressure to take a stand. Already the senior politicians in Moscow were hinting that Iran's rejection of Vienna agreement could make further economic sanctions against the country possible. It's important to follow the Russian reaction in the coming days closely.

The larger picture, as I have argued before, is not just this particular Vienna agreement, but whether Iran wants to radically change its policy toward the US with Omaba at the White House. The Supreme Leader does not appear to be in any mood to improve that relationship, notwithstanding talks of "grand bargain" partly encouraged by the current government in Tehran.

Anonymous said...

good, no bending over to superpower's pressure!

Anonymous said...

Many in Iran attribute this backtracking to the severe criticism levelled against the deal by Mir-Hossein Mousavi, and many others in the opposition camp.

The government is seen to behave like a "lion at home and a jackal abroad."

Let's not forget that it was under Mousavi's premiership that Iran's nuclear program was revived after the revolution and he - and may others - saw this deal as the almost inevitable fate of a government that faces a legitimacy and poplarity crisis at home and needs to relieve pressure from abroad.

Ahmadinejad tried hard to sell the deal, and delared it as a sign of his government's "strength" in a speech in Mashhad on October 30.

However, Mousavi slammed the deal as as "astonishing" during a meeting with Karroubi on October 27and criticized Ahmadinejad's confrontational policies which have put Iran in a position now where it must either give up its rights to peaceful nuclear technology or face sanctions and further ostracization.
See http://www.kaleme.org/1388/08/06/klm-1667

Anonymous said...

The newst Itranian proposal
800 kg 3,5% Uran will be exhanged against 20% Uran

The exchange will be done in two stage wirth 400 Kg uran