Iran vows to resume nuclear activities

Iran vowed today it would “definitely” resume some uranium reprocessing activities, refuting suggestions that Tehran, under European pressure, was considering backing away from its threat to immediately end its freeze of uranium conversion.

Hasan Rowhani, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, said Tehran will resume some nuclear activities because it cannot continue nuclear negotiations with Europeans.

“Continuation of negotiations in their present format is not possible for us,” Rowhani told state-run television.

“The basic point that the Islamic Republic of Iran will resume part of its nuclear activities in the near future is definite,” Rowhani said.

Earlier, in Vienna, Austria, a diplomat said that Iranian government officials in Tehran were discussing delaying the resumption of uranium conversion because of a warning from key European countries that such a move would result in “consequences ... that would only be negative for Iran” – diplomatic code for likely action by the UN Security Council.