Iran vows to pursue nuclear work

By Hashem Kalantari

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran vowed on Saturday to pursue its uranium enrichment program, a day after delivering its response to an incentives package by world powers trying to curb its nuclear ambitions.

No details were released of Iran's formal reply on Friday -- submitted to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana -- to the offer of talks on benefits if Tehran halts enrichment the West suspects is for nuclear bombs. Iran says its plans are peaceful.

In its first public statement after giving the response, government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said that Iran had no intention of discussing its "right to enriching uranium".

"Iran's stance has not changed (on uranium enrichment) and we are ready to hold talks in the framework of preserving Iran's nuclear rights," Elham told a news conference on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Monouchehr Mottaki said Solana would meet Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in the next two weeks for preliminary talks.

"They will start to establish a modality for continuation of this cooperation," Mottaki told Malaysian private broadcaster Astro Awani in an interview broadcast late on Saturday.

Solana's spokeswoman said he was willing to meet Jalili soon, but gave no details. "In principle, the position is to respond favorably," she said.

Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, says its nuclear activities are only aimed at generating power so that it can export more oil but the United States and its European allies suspect Tehran is pursuing an atomic weapons project.

Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for power plants but also, if refined much more, provide material for nuclear bombs.

The row over Iran's nuclear work sparked fears of military confrontation and helped push oil prices to record highs.

Iran's oil minister said any attack aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear work will push crude prices to "unpredictable" highs, the website of the country's Oil Ministry reported on Saturday.

"When oil prices change by $10 to $15 by official comments (about the market), oil prices will be pushed to unpredictable highs if some take an unwise decision to attack Iran," it quoted Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari as saying.

URANIUM ENRICHMENT KEY

The offer of trade and other incentives proposed by the United States, China, Russia, Germany, Britain and France was presented to Iran by Solana last month.

The six powers have told Iran that formal negotiations on the offer, which includes help to develop a civilian nuclear program, can start as soon as it suspends uranium enrichment.