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Iran makes progress in ‘serious’ nuke talks
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Iranian officials said yesterday the country made progress with world powers during “serious” talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, but insisted the nation cannot be pushed to give up uranium enrichment as negotiations move into tougher ground over ways to ease Western concerns that Iran could one day develop atomic weapons.
The remarks on enrichment repeat past declarations on the country’s right to produce nuclear fuel, which is a key element of the talks over its scope. But President Hassan Rouhani and his top envoys seek to assure hard-line critics that Iran will not make sweeping concessions in the negotiations, which ended without agreement in Geneva early yesterday and are set to resume next week.
All sides proclaimed progress, but noted obstacles such as France’s worries over Iran’s enrichment levels and a planned heavy water reactor that produces plutonium byproducts. On Saturday, state TV lashed out at the French position, calling the country Israel’s “representatives” at the talks.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a posting on his Facebook page yesterday, said there are “some problems” still to overcome, but called the latest round of negotiations with the six-nation group — the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany — “serious but respectful.”
The West and its allies fear Iran’s uranium enrichment labs could one day produce weapons-grade material.
But, in an important shift, the US and others no longer appear to demand a complete halt to enrichment and are concentrating on curbing the highest-level production, now at 20 percent. Such material is needed for Iran’s lone research reactor, which makes isotopes for medical treatments, but is only just several steps away from warhead level at more than 90 percent enrichment. Energy-producing reactors use uranium enriched at levels of about 3.5 percent.
Iran insists it does not seek nuclear weapons and says its reactors are only for electricity and medical applications.
In an address to parliament, Rouhani said uranium enrichment is a “red line” that cannot be crossed.
“Nuclear rights in the international framework, including uranium enrichment, on its soil” are not negotiable, Rouhani said. “For us red lines are not crossable.”
Iran claims it cannot be forced to give up enrichment because it has signed a UN treaty governing the spread of nuclear technology. The pact allows for enrichment under UN monitoring.
Rouhani said Iran is similar to other countries and “we are not ready to accept discrimination, at all.”
“We have told the other party that threats, sanctions, humiliation and discrimination will not lead to an answer,” said Rouhani.
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