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Iran vows to enrich uranium if sent to UN council

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 09:03 CDT

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday it would resume uranium enrichment and review its policy of allowing short notice inspections of its nuclear facilities if sent to the U.N. Security Council.

The EU is ratcheting up the pressure on Iran, seeking to report it to the Security Council for violating international atomic obligations.

"If we are sent to the U.N. Security Council, we will review our stance on the additional protocol and will not hesitate to resume uranium enrichment," Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told reporters.

The additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) allows snap inspections of atomic sites.

Iran has resumed parts of its nuclear fuel cycle, suspected by Washington of being part of a bomb program, but has stopped short of actually enriching uranium.

Tehran argues it has every right to enrich the uranium it mines in its central deserts for use in electricity-generating power stations.

"If they threaten to use force against the Iranian nation, Iran will review its perspective on the International Atomic Energy Agency and the NPT," he added.

Larijani said the international community should learn from the lessons of NPT-quitter North Korea against which he said pressure had proved useless.

"After two years you admitted it had a right to uranium enrichment, so you you should accept our right now," he said.

Larijani also warned that the world's fourth biggest oil producer would link its stance on foreign countries' access to energy resources to whether they stood with Iran on its nuclear plans.

"The Supreme National Security Council is determined to balance the two issues," he said.

Source: REUTERS

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