Iran to resume nuclear fuel research

IRAN has decided to resume research into nuclear fuel production, but would not enrich uranium, a top official said yesterday.

Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, said the country had suffered a lot from its suspension of such research during the past two and a half years and that it could no longer keep its scientists from doing this type of work.

Mr Saeedi did not say what nuclear activity Iran would now resume, but he said no decision had been made to resume uranium enrichment.

The West has long opposed Iran’s enrichment of uranium as the process, when pursued to high levels, can produce the fuel for nuclear weapons.

Mr Saeedi stressed the resumed work would not actually produce nuclear fuel.

Iran has come under heavy international pressure from the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, and the West to abandon its program to produce fuel for its Russian-built nuclear reactor that is due to come online this year.

It has refused to renounce the enrichment of uranium but suspended many aspects of its nuclear fuel programme as a goodwill gesture during negotiations with Britain, France and Germany.

The talks have failed to resolve the dispute and more are scheduled for later this month.

The US has accused Iran of secretly aspiring to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies this, saying its programme is limited to producing electricity.

The news coincided with strong hints from Iran’s Foreign Ministry that Tehran planned to reject a Russian compromise proposal aimed at defusing Iran’s nuclear row with the West.

The two developments were likely to spark renewed calls in the West for the case to be referred to the UN Security Council, where Iran could face political or economic sanctions.

A referral vote could be held at the next meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation governing board, scheduled for March 6.

At its last session in November, the board opted to put off any vote to give time for Russia’s proposal to bear fruit.