Iran to resume suspended nuke research

TEHRAN, Wednesday (AFP) Iran announced it would resume nuclear fuel research after a suspension of over two years, prompting the UN atomic watchdog to warn Tehran that it must maintain a freeze on sensitive nuclear work.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran would not "step back" on its decision to resume nuclear fuel work, state television reported.

"Our country will go forward on the nuclear path with patience, wisdom and planning," the hardline president was quoted as saying after a parliament session on the state budget.

"We will not make a step back on our path," he said, adding that he had informed the UN atomic agency of Iran's intent in a letter.

Iran's student-run news agency ISNA further quoted Ahmadinejad as rejecting Western influence on Iranian policies because "research has no restrictions or red lines."

"We cannot base our national interest on their policy," he said.

The deputy head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Mohammad Saidi, also said the UN nuclear watchdog has already been informed of the step, which risks creating further strains in talks with European negotiators.

"In a letter, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has been informed that Iran will start research on the technology of nuclear fuel in a few days, with the cooperation and coordination of the agency," Saidi told state television. "We think our experts have undergone lots of losses during this period (of suspension). Many of our researchers have lost their jobs," he added.

Saidi did not specify exactly what the research concerned, but said that the Islamic republic had "voluntarily" suspended such activities for around "the past two-and-a-half years."

This timescale would correspond to the date when Iran announced in October 2003 that it was temporarily suspending uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to create nuclear fuel for reactors and also the cores of atomic bombs.

Diplomats have said that were Iran to resume enriching uranium it would deal a fatal blow to the negotiating process, already fragile after Tehran restarted uranium conversion last year - the precursor step to enrichment.

In a statement confirming receipt of the letter, the IAEA said its director general Mohammed ElBaradei "recalls the importance placed by the IAEA Board that Iran maintains its suspension of all enrichment-related activity as a key confidence building measure."

It said "he continues to call on Iran to take the steps the IAEA requires to resolve outstanding issues regarding the nature of Iran's nuclear programme."

However Saidi insisted that the decision was not linked to the production of nuclear fuel. "This issue... has nothing to do with production of nuclear fuel. These two are separate things from one another. No decision has been made about nuclear fuel production." The IAEA said it was seeking clarifications from Iran as to the "implications" of the decision.

France on Tuesday called on Iran to reverse its move, saying if Iran was to observe a suspension on enrichment it also had to halt research.

"We would like Iran to abide by the suspension of all activities related to the enrichment and reprocessing... which includes centrifuges and research," foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Moscow is to visit Tehran on Saturday amid continued Russian efforts to break the deadlock between Iran's insistence on maintaining its right to enrichment and EU demands it renounces the practice.

"A Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister (Sergei) Kisliak, is due to come on January 7 to discuss the Russian proposal," said foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.

Moscow has suggested allowing Iran to conduct uranium enrichment in Russia, giving it access to the nuclear fuel cycle while guaranteeing its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

However Asefi reaffirmed Iran would not consider the offer unless it acknowledges the country's right to conduct uranium enrichment operations in Iran, so far the key sticking point in negotiations with the European Union.

"It's not a structured proposal it is still an idea, we have to discuss it. There are ambiguities but if it says that enrichment can only happen in Russia it's not acceptable, but if it's a parallel and complementary plan we will consider that."