Iran pushes for exemption in nuclear agreement

IRAN insisted yesterday it had a right to exempt some equipment from an agreement with the EU committing it to freeze all parts of a programme that can make nuclear weapons-grade uranium.

It was a move that diplomats said threatened to scuttle the deal.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief UN nuclear watchdog, revealed Iran’s continued refusal to include some centrifuges in the agreement - which the EU says mandates a suspension of all activities related to uranium enrichment.

ElBaradei spoke as board members of his International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna grappled with the text of a resolution meant to police Iran’s suspension pledge.

One of the delegates described Iran’s move as an attempt at arms twisting to wrest concessions on the language of the resolution. Tehran wants any text stripped of even the most indirect allusions to a “trigger mechanism” that would enable the board to ask the UN Security Council to deal with violations of the suspension pledge.

But another delegate said Iran’s apparent ploy could backfire and generate support for a more than yearlong US effort for Security Council involvement.

Diplomats said the Americans - who insist Iran wants to make nuclear weapons - were unhappy with the draft, which makes no direct reference to the possibility of referral. But Iranian President Mohamed Khatami said the text was too tough and would have to be watered down.

The last-minute Iranian push fed fears that Tehran may not be keen to ease concerns about its nuclear agenda. Enrichment can produce different grades of uranium that can be used for fuel or nuclear warheads.

Iran’s new demands did not signal an immediate danger because thousands of centrifuges must operate for months to produce enough enriched uranium for a nuclear warhead.