Iran speaker: will ditch fuel plan if new sanctions

TEHRAN | Sun May 23, 2010 8:21am EDT

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will abandon an atomic fuel swap plan brokered by Turkey and Brazil if the United States imposes new sanctions on the Islamic state, Iran's parliament speaker said on Sunday.

In remarks broadcast on state-owned IRIB, Ali Larijani said Tehran could also review its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"If the Americans want to seek adventure, whether in the U.N Security Council or in (the U.S.) Congress, all the efforts of Turkey and Brazil will be in vain and this path will be abandoned," said Larijani, an influential conservative.

"In this situation parliament will make a different decision over Iran's cooperation with the IAEA."

Parliament has the power to oblige the government to change its cooperation with the IAEA, as it did in 2006 after the Vienna-based agency voted to report Iran to the Security Council.

A day earlier, another senior lawmaker said Tehran planned to go ahead with the deal reached with Turkey and Brazil despite a new sanctions resolution pending at the United Nations.

Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Friday Iran will hand an official letter to the IAEA on Monday with details of the agreement with Brazil and Turkey.

The IAEA brokered the basis of the deal last October in talks involving Iran, France, Russia and the United States but it soon unraveled amid Iranian demands for amendments. Larijani was a critic of that plan.

Leaders of Iran, Brazil and Turkey announced the new agreement last Monday under which Iran will send 1,200 kg of its enriched uranium stocks -- reducing its supply of potential atomic bomb material -- to Turkey in exchange for fuel rods for a Tehran medical research reactor.

But the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, after months of negotiations, brushed off the deal with a draft resolution on a new set of sanctions against Iran that Washington handed to the Security Council on Tuesday.

Western powers fear that Iran is secretly trying to produce nuclear weapons, but Tehran denies this and says it is enriching uranium only to produce fuel for nuclear power stations.

Turkey and Brazil -- both currently non-permanent members of the Security Council -- and Iran have urged a halt to talk of further sanctions because of the deal, but Western powers suspect it is an Iranian tactic to avert or delay sanctions.

The new, extended sanctions would target Iranian banks and call for inspection of vessels suspected of carrying cargo related to Iran's nuclear or missile programs.

(Reporting by Ramin Mostafavi; editing by Maria Golovnina)

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Comments (4)
Amiga5 wrote:
And I don’t blame them a bit.

As far as I am concerned USA is the terrorist nation and Iran is the only one making sense

May 23, 2010 11:52am EDT  --  Report as abuse
Anyone that doubts Iran’s objective is to produce an atomic weapon as quickly as possible is burying their head in the proverbial sand.

At what point does it become intolerable to allow them to proceed with building a thermonuclear weapon? And once it is done what choice will the civilized nations of the world have except to remove Iran’s ability through military strikes?

It is far better to try and slow them down as long as possible, despite their political and media spectacles.

May 23, 2010 12:38pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
doublestand4 wrote:
T IS A BRIBED CONSPIRACY SANCTION ON IRAN FOR NOTHING ON BEHALF OF UNBREAKABLE BOND ISRAEL.

THEREFORE, MIDEAST NATIONS NEED TO HAVE PERMANENT IMPARTIAL VETO WIELDING MEMBER AT UN SECURITY COUNCIL NOW !!!. IT NEEDS A CHANGE NOW

U.S. policy on nuclear Iran underscores bias toward Unbreakable bond Israel,
AFTER IRAQ WITH NEVER BEEN FOUND WMD, IT IS CLEAR BY NOW US ANTI IRAN TIRADE
RHETORIC DOUBLE STANDARD IS ONLY ON BEHALF OF UNBREAKABLE BOND ISRAEL, NOT THE
NON PROLIFERATION TREATY OR THE WORLD, TO MAKE SURE THAT ISRAEL IS THE SOLE
NUKES POSSESSOR IN MIDEAST. HISTORY PROVES ITSELF.
THERE IS NO SINGLE CREDITABLE EVIDENCE THAT IRAN FLOUTS THE NPT RULES OR DEVELOPS NUKES.
US AND ZIONIST MEDIA USING PROPAGANDA LIES TO CREATE ILLUSION AND MAKE BELIEVE THAT IRAN IS TO DEVELOP NUKES.
US NEVER CLEARLY STATES WHAT IRAN HAS DONE WRONG WITH NPT.
With more than 200 nuclear weapons and the capacity to deliver them against its enemies or use them to buttress its policies, Israel refuses to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty or to open its nuclear facilities for International Atomic Energy Agency inspection. On the other hand, Israel and the United States insist on applying the harshest possible sanctions against Iran, which they fear may be developing nuclear weapons. The United States furthermore is responding to a regional initiative to make the Middle East a zone free of weapons of mass destruction by linking it to progress in the peace process, which means a peace customized by and suited especially to meet Israel’s interests, naturally, because Israel is the sole nuclear power in the region. In promoting this deal, imposed by a nuclear Israel on a much weaker region, the United States is affirming that it certainly pays to be a nuclear power — you get things done on your terms — It is making mockery of other nations when the white house spokesman says Iran must assure THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. In fact more than hundred countries support Iran’s right to nuclear technology UNDER NPT but the white house spokesman and the media do not consider that number of countries as international community. Only the bullies are entitled speak for other countries.
INDONESIA CERTAIN IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME NOT FOR DEFENCE PURPOSES.
OIC backs Iran nuclear declaration
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has backed an Iranian declaration which aims to end a standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program.

May 23, 2010 12:38pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
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