Majlis orders 20% uranium enrichment

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=130660§ionid=351020101



Iranian Parliament (Majlis) speaker calls for the extension of Iran's uranium enrichment to a base level of 20-percent, as the US and EU continue efforts to impose additional unilateral sanctions on Tehran.

Addressing Iranian lawmakers at a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani criticized the West for putting together a new round of punitive measure against Iran, describing such pressures as "unjustified."

The Majlis speaker went on to censure EU members and the US for their failure to deliver their promise of supplying fuel to the Tehran Research Reactor, adding that the West had failed to respect the rules and regulations of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"Majlis calls on the government to lay the base level for its enrichment activities at 20 percent as these countries have failed to respect the NPT regulations and did not supply fuel to the Tehran Research Reactor," the Fars news agency quoted Larijani as saying.

He urged the Iranian government to put up strong resistance against such measures, "so that the non-committed bullying countries realize that their unjustified pressure would only prompt Iran to raise the level of its enrichment activities based on its [domestic] requirements."

The remarks come as EU member states agreed on Monday to push ahead with plans to move beyond sanctions adopted in a United Nations Security Council resolution last week with additional measures.

On June 9, the Security Council adopted a resolution imposing a fourth round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The new sanctions include further restrictions on trade insurance and financial transactions, and would target Iran's transport sector, particularly its shipping and air cargo operators.

Meanwhile, Larijani reacted to sanctions targeting Iran's shipping industry and warned the West of taking retaliatory measures against their ships.

"I am warning the US and certain adventurous countries that in case they plan to inspect the cargo of Iranian ships and planes, they should rest assured that we will do the same in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman," he said.

"This retaliation is part of our policy to protect our national interests," Larijani added.

Tehran rejects Western accusations of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, arguing that the International Atomic Energy Agency in numerous reports has confirmed the non-diversion of nuclear material in Iran.

Iran doubts West sincerity in swap deal

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127090§ionid=351020104


Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has cast doubt on the sincerity of the West about a proposal to provide fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.

Larijani said that the West's reaction to a recent nuclear declaration announced by Iran testified to its insincerity in nuclear dealings with Tehran.

"Their reaction to the Tehran declaration proved that they are not sincere in the fuel swap," he said.

Following the three-way talks between Iran, Turkey and Brazil, Tehran announced a nuclear declaration on Monday whereby it would send some 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for a total of 120 kg of higher enriched uranium.

The declaration came as part of an earlier plan to supply fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Iran had earlier refused to ship out its uranium under the original deal, citing guarantee concerns. Iranian officials, however, believe that the new declaration can provide Tehran with objective guarantees over the fuel delivery.

While the UN, Russia and China hailed the declaration, the US said that Washington and its allies were "seriously concerned" about the nuclear program although the transfer of low-enriched uranium outside Iranian soil would be a positive step.

The US said that it would continue to push for more sanctions against Iran with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying that the six powers discussing Iran's nuclear work had "reached an agreement on a strong draft."

The new draft resolution, the details of which were made public on Wednesday, calls on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities or face further UN Security Council sanctions.

If ratified, the draft will ban countries from selling new categories of heavy weaponry to Iran and will impose restrictions on the country's banking sector.

With the new draft resolution, Larijani said, the US showed that it was not willing to bring about change in its foreign policy on Iran.

Iran says the declaration leaves no excuse for the West to block the nuclear fuel swap, as Tehran has accepted their prior condition to ship out its uranium to a third country.

"Their previous excuse was that Iran has not accepted [their] demand to ship out 1,200 kilograms of its 3.5 percent-enriched uranium. They insistently said that it is Iran that is avoiding the acceptance of the proposal. Now that we have accepted this condition, they are creating other excuses," Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi told Press TV on Wednesday.

US hails anti-Iran UN bid, ignores swap

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127074§ionid=351020104


The US president has hailed an anti-Iran UN Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution, ignoring Tehran's recent declaration on a nuclear fuel swap deal in Turkey.

"I am pleased that we have reached an agreement with our P5-plus-one partners on a strong resolution that we now have shared with our Security Council partners," President Barack Obama said in a joint press conference on Wednesday with his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon.

Obama said that Iran should "uphold its international obligations or face increased sanctions and pressure including UN sanctions."

The remarks come days after Iran issued a joint declaration with current UNSC members Turkey and Brazil announcing Iran's readiness to engage in a nuclear fuel swap with the West under which Tehran would ship 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 120 kg of higher-enriched uranium it requires for producing medical isotopes in Tehran's Research Reactor (TRR).

The declaration came as part of a plan to settle an ongoing dispute over Iran's enrichment program, while supplying fuel to the TRR for its medical productions mostly dedicated to cancer patients.

A day after Iran made the announcement; US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that the six powers had "reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of Russia and China."

Clinton's claim came after Russian, Chinese and UN officials welcomed Tehran's declaration on the nuclear swap in Turkey as a positive development.

The new draft resolution, details of which were made public on Wednesday, calls on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities or face further UN Security Council sanctions.

The draft, if approved, will ban countries from selling new categories of heavy weaponry to Iran and will impose restrictions on the country's banking sector.

The US says it is still "seriously concerned" about the Iranian nuclear program and would continue to push for more UNSC sanctions.

The US insistence on anti-Iran sanctions are widely reported to be influenced by powerful pro-Israeli groups in the US. Obama met Wednesday with a group of Jewish Congressmen to pledge his commitment to push through the sanctions resolution in the UNSC.

Iran says any punitive measure against its nuclear work would be legally baseless and unfair as the country's nuclear program is being fully monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

China renews call for diplomacy on Iran

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127037§ionid=351020104


China says a draft UN Security Council resolution against Iran does not mean the end of diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.

"The circulation of the draft resolution at the Security Council does not mean that the door for the diplomatic efforts has been closed," Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said on Wednesday.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the United States, Russia, Britain, France, and China) and Germany began discussing the draft resolution on Wednesday, RIA Novosti reported.

"We have repeatedly stressed that even though the six countries launched the discussion of sanctions against Iran, diplomatic efforts should not be halted," Li said.

"Countries that maintain regular, legitimate economic and trade relations with Iran should not be punished due to Iran's nuclear issue," he added.

The draft resolution was introduced by the US on Tuesday only one day after Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed a declaration in Tehran that names Turkey as the site of a nuclear fuel swap in which Tehran would exchange its low-enriched uranium for 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel for the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment.

"We welcome and attach importance to the agreement that Iran signed with Brazil and Turkey, and this is a positive step forward in the right direction," the Chinese envoy said.