Iran Is Reported to Continue Nuclear Activity

The New York Times:

Published: November 18, 2005

By RICHARD BERNSTEIN

BERLIN, Nov. 17 - Iran has resumed converting uranium despite European requests that it abstain from such work pending a new round of negotiations on its nuclear activities, a diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said Thursday.

The reported resumption of activity, at a nuclear plant in Isfahan, comes days after Iran appeared to rebuff a European proposal that would allow Iran do some converting of uranium into a natural gas at the plant provided the product made there would be sent outside the country, presumably to Russia, for the final processing that would allow it to be used to generate power.

On Saturday, Iran's nuclear chief, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, said in Tehran that "Iran's nuclear fuel must be produced inside the country," according to news agency reports.

The Europeans, who have been trying to ensure that Iran does not produce nuclear weapons, had asked the Iranians to cease conversion work until negotiations about the offer had taken place.

"It's not forbidden," the diplomat close to the atomic energy agency said, meaning that the Iranian converting of uranium does not violate theNuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the pending negotiations. "It's significant from the point of view of posturing just at the point of getting back to negotiations, and that has antagonized the Europeans."

Iran maintains that it has the right to enrich the uranium it mines for energy-producing purposes. The conversion work at Isfahan produces a precursor of the uranium-fluoride gas that is a central part of the process of creating nuclear fuel, which could be used either for building bombs or generating electricity.

Iran says that its nuclear activities are intended only for peaceful uses, but the United States and many European countries contend that its goal is to produce nuclear weapons.

Next week the International Atomic Energy Agency is scheduled to meet and consider an American-supported proposal to refer Iran's nuclear activities to the United Nations Security Council for possible penalties.