France accuses Tehran of pursuing military nuclear programme
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Iran’s nuclear work, which Tehran says aims to generate electricity, could not possibly be designed for civilian uses alone. Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani responded with a warning to the West not to hector Tehran, a heated exchange that bodes ill for talks in Moscow on Monday on a compromise aimed at ending the row peacefully.
Russia has offered to enrich Iranian uranium on its soil and return it to Iran for use in atomic reactors, thereby easing international concerns Iran could produce bomb-grade uranium.
“No civilian nuclear programme can explain the Iranian nuclear programme. So, it is a clandestine Iranian military nuclear programme,” Mr Douste-Blazy told France 2 TV. “The international community has sent a very firm message by saying to the Iranians: ‘Come back to reason. Suspend all nuclear activity and the enrichment of uranium and the conversion of uranium’.
“They are not listening to us,” said Mr Douste-Blazy, whose comments drew a swift reaction from Tehran.
“I suggest Mr Douste-Blazy use a diplomatic tone and avoid increasing the tension,” Mr Larijani told Iranian television.
Iran’s energy minister said that, despite huge oil and gas reserves, the country needs nuclear power to meet booming demand.
“We will face problems producing electricity in the next four years without nuclear energy,” the minister, Parviz Fattah, was quoted by state television as saying.
The French Foreign Ministry denied France had hardened its position. A spokeswoman told a regular electronic briefing that Mr Douste-Blazy had simply restated Paris’s position.
“The sensitive nuclear activities currently under way in Iran as regards conversion and enrichment cast doubt upon their peaceful and civilian nature,” Agnes Romatet-Espagne said.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he held the same position as Mr Douste-Blazy, because he had worked closely with his French and German counterparts on the Iran issue. The onus was on Tehran, given its previous covert activities, to allay suspicions about its nuclear programme, Mr Straw told a news conference in Algiers.
China, which like France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, said it was concerned about the stand-off, a day after the US accused Tehran of defying the international community by resuming enrichment.
“It’s extremely important for the international community to uphold the consensus on resolving the Iran nuclear issue through diplomatic means,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
A top Russian general said Washington might eventually use force against Iran, with perilous consequences for the world.
“Can the developments surrounding Iran follow a military path? I cannot rule this out,” Chief of Staff General Yuri Baluyevsky said.
He said US military capabilities could not be compared with Iran’s, but apart from any Iranian response, any attack would set off unpredictable reactions in the Muslim world.
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