Iran vows to ignore UN Council deadline

TEHRAN – Iran vowed yesterday it would ignore this week’s UN Security Council deadline to freeze its sensitive uranium enrichment work, the centre of fears the Islamic republic could acquire atomic weapons.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki compared the war of nerves to Iran’s struggle from the 1950s onwards to wrest its oil industry from British control, asserting that Iranians were once more standing “firm and united”. “Once again the Security Council is on the threshold of a big test,” Mottaki said, just days away from the Friday deadline set by the Council for Iran to freeze uranium enrichment.”The Iranian nation has collectively decided to seek its rights within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he added.Iran says it only wants to enrich uranium to make reactor fuel to generate electricity, as is authorised by the NPT.But Western powers want a suspension of the work – which can be extended to make weapons – while suspicions over Iran’s nuclear programme remain.”One of the members of the Security Council wants to test what was tested before,” Mottaki said, referring to British attempts half a century ago to prevent Iran from nationalising its oil sector.”It wants to stand against the firm will of the Iranian people.They say that they can have nuclear weapons, but we cannot even have (civilian) nuclear technology,” Mottaki complained.”This logic is condemned, and the Iranian nation, in order to prove this, will stand firm and united,” said the foreign minister, who was speaking at a conference in Tehran on regional security.Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also due to give a press conference yesterday, widely expected to see him once again underline the regime’s refusal to comply with the Security Council request.On Sunday the foreign ministry said that Iran’s enrichment programme was “irreversible”.Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is to report on Iran’s compliance in the coming days, and diplomats predict he will be less than complimentary about the Islamic regime.- Nampa-AFP”Once again the Security Council is on the threshold of a big test,” Mottaki said, just days away from the Friday deadline set by the Council for Iran to freeze uranium enrichment.”The Iranian nation has collectively decided to seek its rights within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he added.Iran says it only wants to enrich uranium to make reactor fuel to generate electricity, as is authorised by the NPT.But Western powers want a suspension of the work – which can be extended to make weapons – while suspicions over Iran’s nuclear programme remain.”One of the members of the Security Council wants to test what was tested before,” Mottaki said, referring to British attempts half a century ago to prevent Iran from nationalising its oil sector.”It wants to stand against the firm will of the Iranian people.They say that they can have nuclear weapons, but we cannot even have (civilian) nuclear technology,” Mottaki complained.”This logic is condemned, and the Iranian nation, in order to prove this, will stand firm and united,” said the foreign minister, who was speaking at a conference in Tehran on regional security.Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also due to give a press conference yesterday, widely expected to see him once again underline the regime’s refusal to comply with the Security Council request.On Sunday the foreign ministry said that Iran’s enrichment programme was “irreversible”.Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is to report on Iran’s compliance in the coming days, and diplomats predict he will be less than complimentary about the Islamic regime.- Nampa-AFP