The crisis over Iran's nuclear program grew tenser today. For the first time, European officials said they will join the United States in referring Iran to the UN Security Council if Tehran follows through on a pledge to resume some uranium reprocessing activities. The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Britain sent a blunt letter to Iran's nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani, saying that Iran's resuming potentially arms-related nuclear work would end Europe-Iran negotiations.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair also told a news conference today that he supports referring Iran to the Security Council if Iran breaches its "nuclear obligations."
Earlier, Rowhani had said on state television that Iran would soon resume certain uranium reprocessing activities. He added that if Iran is prevented from taking such steps, it would simply abandon the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. He said Iran says it is no longer interested in pursuing the current form of negotiations on its nuclear program with the European Union and added:
"Continuing talks in the current form is not acceptable for us. In fact, [negotiation] suffers from imbalance, because we have suspended [such activities], and therefore prolonging the talks is very hard and costly for us. Whereas it not only has no costs for Europe, but it perhaps falls within their interests. That is why we believe that we must resume part of our [uranium reprocessing] activity."
But Rowhani was later quoted as saying that Iran, after receiving a message from the Europeans, had no immediate plans to resume reprocessing.
Iran denies U.S. charges that its nuclear energy program is a front for atomic arms. Washington has been pressing for the case to be sent to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions on Iran.
انتخاب سردبیر
پرخوانندهترینها
۱
