Iran plans to resume nuclear enrichment

Iran said yesterday it was losing patience with UN inspections of its nuclear programme and announced that its agreement with the Europeans to halt uranium enrichment would soon come to an end.

Iran was taking a tough stance at a key meeting at the UN's nuclear watchdog which could decide whether to report Tehran to the UN Security Council if it is not convinced Iran's nuclear programme is entirely for peaceful purposes.

The United States has accused Iran of having a secret nuclear bomb programme. Iran says its nuclear programme is related solely to generating power.

Hossein Mousavian, head of Iran's delegation at the meeting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told reporters the suspension of uranium enrichment was a voluntary gesture by Iran but it would be "just for a short, temporary period".

Speaking before entering the closed-door meeting, he said the suspension would include far fewer activities than the Europeans had demanded. He gave no indication when Tehran planned to resume uranium enrichment.

The enrichment of uranium is a process that can be used to make fuel for weapons as well as for power plants.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei called on the Iranians to fully suspend their enrichment programme until the agency was able to assure the world that Iran had no covert weapons programme.

"During this delicate phase... and in light of serious international concerns surrounding the programme, (Iran) should do its utmost to build the required confidence," Mr ElBaradei said.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels that Iran's decision to restart some uranium enrichment had damaged the confidence Europe had in assurances Tehran made over its nuclear programme in talks with Britain, France and Germany last October.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Iran should not underestimate the consequences of not sticking to its promises.

"There is the risk of Tehran making a miscalculation. I hope that it sees and understands that. If not, we could be in a serious situation," he told reporters.

Britain, France and Germany circulated a draft resolution over the weekend, which will be revised in backroom talks on the sidelines of the IAEA meeting.

Although the text criticises Iran for failing to halt all activities linked to uranium enrichment, it currently lacks what Washington wants - a "trigger" that could send Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Non-US diplomats said the majority of the board's 35 members supported the EU trio's strategy of trying to persuade Iran to give up nuclear fuel-making capabilities in exchange for a guarantee that it can run a peaceful nuclear programme.

The US, which believes Iran has forfeited the right to any nuclear programme by concealing its enrichment programme for nearly two decades, wants to punish and isolate Iran. But it has few supporters for this view.

Mr Mousavian rejected the possibility that Iran would abandon the nuclear fuel cycle and said Tehran had done more than enough to assure the world its atomic intentions were peaceful.

"Iran has taken all the necessary confidence building measures," he said, adding that enrichment is the "legitimate right of all (IAEA) members".

Mr Mousavian said Iran was running out of patience with the UN inspection process and expected the agency to complete its investigation by the time the board met again in November.

The EU trio's draft resolution circulating at the meeting calls on oil-rich Iran to dispel worries that it has a weapons programme by November, at which time the board will "probably" consider whether any further steps are needed.

One Western diplomat said this could mean a UN Security Council report or possibly even an acquittal for Tehran.

The IAEA has been investigating Iran's nuclear programme for two years, since the exiled opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran reported in August 2002 that Tehran was concealing nuclear facilities from the UN watchdog.

It has uncovered many potentially weapons-related activities but has found nothing to confirm US accusations that Iran has a secret nuclear bomb programme.