Doublethinker
01-28-2007, 02:27 PM
Iran looks to Russia as global mediator
By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 20 minutes ago
Iran wants Russia to help mediate in the standoff with the U.N. Security Council over Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian state radio said Sunday as a ranking Russian diplomat met with top Iranian leaders.
The radio said Iran was looking to Russia for "new proposals, such as enrichment of uranium on Russian soil," and expects Russia to "take a close stance with the international community" to help Iran resolve its nuclear standoff.
The Kremlin proposed last year that Iran move its uranium enrichment work to Russian territory, where it could be better monitored to alleviate international concerns that Tehran is trying to build atomic bombs in violation of its treaty commitments.
Iranian leaders had said they were interested in the idea, but nothing came of it as oil-rich Iran insisted its nuclear project is intended only to produce radioactive fuel for reactors that would generate electricity.
No details were released about the talks held Sunday between Igor Ivanov, Russia's national security adviser, and Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the foreign minister and the top nuclear negotiator.
In a rare reception for visiting diplomats, Ivanov also met with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
State radio also said Russia has pledged to complete the Bushehr nuclear power station on schedule this year. Russia last year agreed to ship fuel to Bushehr by this March and start up the facility in September, with electricity generation to start by November.
As a U.N. Security Council permanent member, Russia last month forced the body to water down proposed punitive measures that would have imposed curbs on the Bushehr project. But the Kremlin then supported limited sanctions against Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.
Enrichment of uranium, using centrifuges, can produce material usable both as fuel for electricity-generating reactors and for nuclear weapons.
Ivanov's visit came as Iranian officials issued contradictory statements about progress on expanding Iranian enrichment facilities by installing 3,000 centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility.
Hossein Simorgh, spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization public relations department, said that "no new centrifuges have been installed in Natanz," the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported late Saturday.
The remarks appeared to contradict lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who said earlier Saturday that Iran was currently installing the 3,000 centrifuges.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini refused to elaborate on the discrepancy, saying Sunday only that the contradicting remarks were a "technical matter" that should be left to Iran's nuclear agency organization to "elaborate ... at a convenient time."
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, had no comment on the Iranian statements, spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Sunday night. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said recently he believed Iran planned to begin work in February on an underground facility to hold uranium enrichment equipment.
Iran faces the threat of additional Security Council sanctions unless it stops enrichment by the end of a 60-day period that ends next month.
A senior U.S. State Department official warned Iran on Friday against accelerating its atomic program.
"If Iran takes this step, it is going to confront universal international opposition," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said. "If they think they can get away with 3,000 centrifuges without another Security Council resolution and additional international pressure, then they are very badly mistaken."
For now, the only known assembled centrifuge operations in Iran consist of two linked chains of 164 machines each and two smaller setups.
As far as I remember, Russia offered to enrich uranium on its own soil before the conflict. Looks like Iran is quietly backing down.
By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 20 minutes ago
Iran wants Russia to help mediate in the standoff with the U.N. Security Council over Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian state radio said Sunday as a ranking Russian diplomat met with top Iranian leaders.
The radio said Iran was looking to Russia for "new proposals, such as enrichment of uranium on Russian soil," and expects Russia to "take a close stance with the international community" to help Iran resolve its nuclear standoff.
The Kremlin proposed last year that Iran move its uranium enrichment work to Russian territory, where it could be better monitored to alleviate international concerns that Tehran is trying to build atomic bombs in violation of its treaty commitments.
Iranian leaders had said they were interested in the idea, but nothing came of it as oil-rich Iran insisted its nuclear project is intended only to produce radioactive fuel for reactors that would generate electricity.
No details were released about the talks held Sunday between Igor Ivanov, Russia's national security adviser, and Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the foreign minister and the top nuclear negotiator.
In a rare reception for visiting diplomats, Ivanov also met with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
State radio also said Russia has pledged to complete the Bushehr nuclear power station on schedule this year. Russia last year agreed to ship fuel to Bushehr by this March and start up the facility in September, with electricity generation to start by November.
As a U.N. Security Council permanent member, Russia last month forced the body to water down proposed punitive measures that would have imposed curbs on the Bushehr project. But the Kremlin then supported limited sanctions against Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.
Enrichment of uranium, using centrifuges, can produce material usable both as fuel for electricity-generating reactors and for nuclear weapons.
Ivanov's visit came as Iranian officials issued contradictory statements about progress on expanding Iranian enrichment facilities by installing 3,000 centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility.
Hossein Simorgh, spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization public relations department, said that "no new centrifuges have been installed in Natanz," the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported late Saturday.
The remarks appeared to contradict lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who said earlier Saturday that Iran was currently installing the 3,000 centrifuges.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini refused to elaborate on the discrepancy, saying Sunday only that the contradicting remarks were a "technical matter" that should be left to Iran's nuclear agency organization to "elaborate ... at a convenient time."
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, had no comment on the Iranian statements, spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Sunday night. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said recently he believed Iran planned to begin work in February on an underground facility to hold uranium enrichment equipment.
Iran faces the threat of additional Security Council sanctions unless it stops enrichment by the end of a 60-day period that ends next month.
A senior U.S. State Department official warned Iran on Friday against accelerating its atomic program.
"If Iran takes this step, it is going to confront universal international opposition," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said. "If they think they can get away with 3,000 centrifuges without another Security Council resolution and additional international pressure, then they are very badly mistaken."
For now, the only known assembled centrifuge operations in Iran consist of two linked chains of 164 machines each and two smaller setups.
As far as I remember, Russia offered to enrich uranium on its own soil before the conflict. Looks like Iran is quietly backing down.