Iran ‘will not give in to UN pressure’

IRAN warned yesterday that it would not take UN actions against it lying down and nor would it give up its research-scale enrichment of uranium.

Tehran reiterated its determination to continue its nuclear programme after the White House rejected Iran’s offer to allow snap inspections of its nuclear facilities if the UN nuclear monitor resumes its lead role managing Iran’s dispute with the international community.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported to the UN Security Council on Friday that Iran defied the council’s deadline to suspend uranium enrichment-related activities.

The country’s deputy oil minister MH Nejad Hosseinian said yesterday he did not believe the UN would impose sanctions on Iran because that would boost oil prices even higher.

The US and its European allies have pushed the possibility of sanctions after a report from the UN nuclear monitor confirmed the Iranians had successfully produced enriched uranium and defied the Security Council’s Friday deadline to stop the process.

Security Council members Russia and China have opposed the possibility of such punitive actions.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said: “We insist that we are willing to resolve (our nuclear) dossier through dialogue... but Iran won’t hold talks and won’t surrender under threats and pressures.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Iran’s offer to let a watchdog agency inspect the country’s nuclear facilities is a stalling tactic to avoid penalties that would further isolate Tehran.