Iran Firm on Nuclear Plans

By Anne Penketh Diplomatic Editor

Iran’s new “Dr No”, the Iranian chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, came to London yesterday for the first time since his appointment at the end of October for talks billed as Iran’s last chance to avert a new round of UN sanctions.

The Iranian official spoke as softly as his predecessor, Ali Larijani, but the message was just as uncompromising: Iran will continue to reject the central US and European demand for his country to suspend uranium enrichment, the process which could eventually lead to a nuclear bomb.

Such a demand, he said, was “unacceptable,” stressing that Iran had a right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Furthermore, Mr Jalili challenged the West to drop its threats of additional UN sanctions on the ground that the head of the UN nuclear agency had been able to clear up many “baseless accusations” regarding Iran’s past nuclear activities. The Iran nuclear dossier belongs with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and not the UN, he argued.

Iran’s stand sets the stage for negotiations in Paris today at which Britain, the US and France will argue that Iran has failed to heed UN demands and press for additional sanctions targeting its nuclear programme and its connections to the powerful Revolutionary Guards. Additional visa restrictions on Iranian officials linked to the country’s nuclear programme are also to be discussed. Russia and China are resisting tougher sanctions.

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