HOPES OF a diplomatic breakthrough over Iran’s nuclear programme were dwindling last night after Tehran demanded changes to a uranium exchange deal that European diplomats described as unacceptable.
If the deal collapses, as seemed likely yesterday, the apparent progress made over Tehran’s nuclear programme in recent weeks would evaporate, the diplomats said. This would deliver another critical blow to the Obama administration’s policy of engagement and put international sanctions and Israeli military action back on the table.
The uranium deal, agreed in principle in Geneva at the beginning of the month, involved Iran shipping out most of its enriched uranium and, in return, being provided about a year later with fuel rods for its research reactor in Tehran.
Iran’s response, delivered after a week’s delay to the International Atomic Energy Agency, was not made public, but according to diplomats familiar with the details, Tehran demanded two big changes. They would only ship their uranium out in batches, and only hand it over at the same time the French-made fuel rods were delivered.
That would remove the element of the deal that made it attractive to the West: the temporary removal of most of Iran’s enriched uranium, which is currently enough to make a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful.
“This is completely unacceptable,” said a European diplomat, who said discussions were under way in Brussels last night to formulate a common response. “They want to keep all the gains, and give nothing away themselves,” another diplomat said.
In public comments earlier yesterday Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president, gave the impression that progress was being made. In a speech in the Iranian city of Mashhad he said Iran was ready to co-operate, but not at any cost: “If you stretch your hand towards us honestly, we will press it. But if there is any conspiracy, Iran’s nation will respond in the same way as it did to Bush and his likes.”
The IAEA issued a cautious statement yesterday calling Iran’s proposals an “initial response” and adding that the agency’s director, Mohamed ElBaradei, was talking to all parties “with the hope that agreement on his proposal can be reached soon”.
If the US and its allies decide that negotiations have run their course, they will begin to push for fresh UN sanctions at the security council.
European diplomats said last night it would also become difficult to convince Israel that diplomacy was making progress.– ( Guardianservice)