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Restarting Isfahan UCF only reinforces concern, says UK

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Nov 17, IRNA
UK-Isfahan Plant
The British government suggested Thursday that any Iranian plans to restart conversion at Isfahan plant would only raise further questions about Iran's nuclear program.

"Introducing more yellow cake in uranium conversion facilities at Isfahan would be a further backward step contrary to IAEA board resolutions and Iran's commitment to the Paris Agreement," a Foreign Office spokesman in London said.

"It will only serve to reinforce international concerns about Iran's intention," the spokesman told IRNA.

Reports Wednesday, quoting diplomatic sources, claimed that Iran has begun to process a new batch of uranium to convert it to a gas that IAEA inspectors were said to have witnessed.

The claim comes ahead of the next IAEA board meeting on November 24 but follows Russia holding talks in Tehran at which it was said to have offered a compromise plan, permitting Iran to continue conversion at Isfahan as a key concession to develop an early part of the fuel cycle.

The offer reportedly also provides safeguards against the diversion of materials for any weapons program by stipulating that all uranium enrichment be carried out on Russian territory at a plant to be built and jointly owned with Iran.

Britain has yet to confirm whether it supported the proposal as a basis of breaking the deadlock on the EU resuming nuclear talks with Iran but the Foreign Office spokesman said: "We hope Iran will engage with the Russians on their idea."
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Tuesday indicated that some progress may have been made in the offer, saying that he had heard that the Russian talks had been 'useful but not conclusive'.

To back up the proposal, Britain is not ruling out advancing the EU's original offer of nuclear cooperation made under the terms of the Paris Agreement but first wants Iran to return to the negotiating table.

The Foreign Office refused to confirm or deny reports that the secretary of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Larijani, who heads nuclear negotiations, had written a further letter to Straw about a compromise deal.

The spokesman said that he could 'not comment one way or another' that the foreign secretary had received a new letter, but suggested that the source of the report was unreliable.

Britain previously confirmed that Larijani sent Straw a letter two weeks ago, but again also refused to disclose the contents while repeating that the 'door remains open for the resumption of talks'.

HC/2322/1414