Media hail resumption of nuclear work

Iran's conservative media praised yesterday Tehran's decision to resume uranium conversion and many newspapers looked forward to the restarting of all nuclear activities.

"Iran's nuclear heart starts ticking," said the front-page headline of Hemayat daily. "Iran stood by its word," said the hardline Kayhan.

"Next step Natanz," said the ultra-conservative Jomhuri-ye Eslami, in reference to Iran's uranium enrichment plant. EU officials had warned that the resumption of work at the Isfahan uranium conversion facility on Monday may see Iran sent to the UN Security Council for punitive action which could include sanctions.

Iran says it just wants nuclear power but the West suspects it wants to make atomic bombs. Uranium conversion, and then enrichment, are steps on the path to both.

In an editorial entitled We Are The Winners, Johmuri-ye Esalmi said Iran had nothing to fear from being sent to the Security Council.

"The US and the three European countries (Britain, Germany and France) lack the kind of credibility to turn anything against us in the UN Security Council," it said.

Iran froze nuclear fuel work in November while it explored a long-term arrangement with the European Union.

But Tehran flatly rejected on Saturday an EU proposal to abandon nuclear fuel work for good in return for incentives ranging from help with developing an atomic energy programme to trade and investment deals.

Iran complained the EU offer ignored its right as a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to produce its own nuclear reactor fuel.

"The European countries are following the US blindly, in fact they have put their honour up for auction," said Jomhuri-ye Eslami.

In Iran's Parliament yesterday, lawmakers were quick to laud the move to restart Isfahan.

"It was a manifestation of our nation's will," Jamal Jahangirzadeh said.

Fellow MP Eshrat Shayegh said: "Iran is committed to cooperation with the international community, but it opposes bullying by those who tend to solve problems by force."

The most sensitive part of Iran's nuclear industry - the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz - remains suspended and under UN seal.

But atomic officials indicated they were also keen to restart work there which could be used to make atomic reactor fuel or material for nuclear warheads. "We are keeping Natanz facilities suspended to build more confidence but there's no doubt it will re-start operations too," Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, was quoted as saying in Kayhan.