Tehran nuclear threat labelled ‘brinkmanship’

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 04/05/05

Just days after a new round of negotiations with the EU, Iran has threatened to restart nuclear enrichment activities, prompting fears that it may be about to abandon a two-year-old agreement brokered by the Union.

After talks with the EU3 of France, Germany and the UK in London late last week, top Iranian negotiator Hasan Rowhani said it was likely that "some activities at Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility will restart next week".

Under a 2003 agreement, Iran had agreed to suspend enrichment activities, but Tehran continues to insist that any suspension of such activities is temporary and has lamented the slow pace of EU-Iran talks.

Meanwhile European officials sought to play down the comments.

"This has been in the background for a long time," said one EU official. "They have always practised brinkmanship."

Another diplomat said that "the talks [in London] were better than the official statements would suggest". He blamed the upcoming presidential elections on 17 June for some of the more bellicose statements coming from Tehran in the wake of the talks.

During Friday's (29 April) discussion, which has been described as an informal dinner, there was "some progress" according to diplomats.

"They said they were still working at guarantees," said one source, indicating that Iran may leave it up to the incoming president to decide on whether to continue with the suspension.

Any resumption in enrichment activities is likely to bring pressure from Washington for the matter to be taken to the United Nations Security Council.

But publicly at least the US continues to support an EU-lead diplomatic solution.

After a meeting with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier in Washington on Monday (2 May), US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she continued to support the EU's efforts.

"I reiterated to the Foreign Minister our support for the EU3's negotiations with Iran," she said, before emphasising the need for Iran to have confidence in the international community.

EU and Iranian officials are also scheduled to negotiate on the margins of the current meeting in New York on nuclear non proliferation.

Article reports on comments by top Iranian negotiator Hasan Rowhani, days after a round of negotiations with the EU on Iran's nuclear enrichment programmes. After talks with the EU3 of France, Germany and the UK in London, beginning of May 2005, Rowhani said it was likely that some activities at Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility would restart the following week, prompting fears that the country may be about to abandon a two-year-old agreement brokered by the Union. Under a 2003 agreement, Iran had agreed to suspend enrichment activities, but Tehran continued to insist that any suspension of such activities was temporary and lamented the slow pace of EU-Iran talks.