Nuclear talks failure heightens tensions

A fruitless visit to Iran by UN nuclear inspectors raised tensions on Wednesday, with Russia warning of "catastrophic" consequences if it leads to a military attack on its Middle East ally.

The United States expressed disappointment, and France said Iran's refusal to let the inspectors in to a key military site was a "missed opportunity".

France also that could undermine chances of reviving wider talks between Tehran and world powers.

But as worries over Iran pushed world oil prices to nine-month highs, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was defiant.

He made no mention at all of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, instead reiterating the assertion that "the Iranian nation has never been seeking an atomic weapon and never will be." Possessing a nuclear bomb "constitutes a major sin," he told a group of atomic scientists, but nuclear energy "is in Iran's national interest." "Pressure, sanctions, threats and assassinations will not bear any fruit and Iran will continue its path of (nuclear) scientific development." The IAEA said it had gone into the two-day visit, and an inconclusive one last month, in a "constructive spirit," but that no agreement had been reached on efforts to elucidate Iran's nuclear activities.

Despite requests, "we could not get access" to a military site in Parchin where suspected nuclear warhead design experiments were conducted, team leader and chief inspector Herman Nackaerts said on returning to Vienna.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said the refusal to allow the Parchin inspection was "disappointing," and the UN watchdog said that "at this point in time" there was no agreement with Iran on holding further talks.

A Western diplomat in Vienna said Iran's posture on Parchin showed why the world community "lacks confidence in the nature of its nuclear programme." "This latest snub, along with its decision to begin enrichment at Qom, underscore Iran's defiance of the international community and multiple Security Council resolutions," said the diplomat.

But Iran's envoy to the IAEA urged the watchdog not to "perturb the climate of cooperation," saying talks would continue. AFP