US Adamant Against Any Iranian Uranium Enrichment
State Department
06 March 2006
The United States said Monday it would oppose any compromise on the Iranian nuclear program that would allow Tehran to have even a small uranium enrichment capability. The idea of allowing Iran a small-scale research program has surfaced at the Vienna meeting of the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA.
The Bush administration is serving notice it will not be party to any compromise giving Iran a continuing capability to enrich uranium. And it is making clear it expects a referral of the matter to the U.N. Security Council barring a sudden policy reversal by Tehran on its nuclear program.
Talk of such a compromise surfaced Monday in Vienna as the IAEA convened to hear a report on the Iranian nuclear program from agency director-general Mohamed ElBaradei, before the matter is sent to the Security Council under a February 4 IAEA decision.
The IAEA chief said a deal to defuse the standoff over the Iranian program was still possible, and diplomats in Vienna were quoted as saying Iran might accept a long-term freeze on industrial scale enrichment, if it was allowed to carry-on small-scale enrichment for research under IAEA scrutiny.
However the Bush backed by Washington, has proposed to enrich uranium for Iran on Russian soil to allow Tehran to continue what it says is a peaceful civilian nuclear program.
Iran has on several occasions publicly expressed interest in the Russian proposal. But U.S. officials say Tehran officials continue to hold out for some continuing enrichment capability, which contravenes the Russian plan and is unacceptable.
The United States has long supported referral to the Security Council. But has been non-committal on what punitive measures might be sought there against Iran, suggesting the intensified focus on the issue at the U.N. itself might prompt Iran to reconsider its stand.
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