Tehran
threatened Washington with "harm and pain" over Nuclear
program
AP
IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei
By Michael
Adler
AFP
VIENNA
Petroleumworld.com
03 9 06
The UN nuclear watchdog Wednesday opened the way for Security
Council action against Iran over its nuclear program, sparking
an angry reaction from Tehran which threatened Washington with
"harm and pain" for leading the charge.
A report on Iran's program, which the West fears is hiding a covert
drive for the atom bomb, will now be sent to the UN body in New
York, US ambassador Gregory Schulte told reporters here.
A top US official in Washington said the dossier would be brought
up next week at the Security Council.
"If Iran doesn't respond to words, we believe the world community
should entertain the possibility of sanctions," Under Secretary
of State Nicholas Burns told a House of Representatives committee.
"But it's going to be incumbent upon our allies around the
world to show that they are willing to act," he added.
In Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency wrapped up a
three-day regular meeting that focused Wednesday on the Iranian
standoff, with an assessment by IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei.
He said it was still possible to reach a political settlement
and urged all sides to "lower the rhetoric" to achieve
this.
"This is simply a new phase of diplomacy, an extension of
diplomatic efforts to find a solution," ElBaradei said.
Unlike the IAEA, the Security Council has enforcement powers and
can impose punitive measures, including sanctions.
Europe and the United States have led the drive for action, saying
Iran has hidden the truth about its nuclear program and should
not be allowed to enrich uranium, which can provide the fuel for
civilian reactors but also, in highly enriched form, the material
for atomic weapons.
"Iran has not met the conditions at the IAEA" to suspend
all enrichment and cooperate fully with inspectors, Burns said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, for his part, said in
New York that there was no military solution to the row and cast
doubt on the effectiveness of any sanctions against Tehran.
Moscow has been trying to broker a compromise under which Iran
could enrich uranium in Russia, so that it gets the nuclear fuel
but not the technology for making bombs.
Iran has proposed suspending industrial-scale enrichment but doing
research work, but the West says even small-scale enrichment is
too dangerous.
Iranian security official Javad Vaidi, who led the Iranian delegation
here, threatened reprisals against the United States.
"The United States may have the power to cause harm and pain
but it is also susceptible to harm and pain," he said.
"So if the United States wishes to choose that path, let
the ball roll."
Vaidi reiterated that Iran would press on with small-scale enrichment
work despite the IAEA's calls to halt this activity.
"We will continue to exercise our R and D activities based
on our right," Vaidi said, referring to research and development.
He said Iran would not -- for now -- use its key role as an oil
supplier as a weapon in the international dispute over its nuclear
program but may review the situation later.
Iran is to continue its current level of cooperation with the
IAEA, Iranian ambassador Ali-Agsar Soltanieh said.
Mark Malloch Brown, the incoming UN deputy secretary general,
said Iran had been referred to the Security Council because its
five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the
United States -- had to assume it was hiding something.
Speaking on BBC radio, he said it was still unclear what Iran's
intentions were but "at this point, the permanent five have
concluded that, because Iran has not been seen as coming clean
on what it was doing, we have to assume the likelihood of a military
programme, and therefore must have Security Council action."
He said any movement toward sanctions would be gradual but that
if Tehran did not change tack, action could follow within months.
In Vienna, Schulte said ElBaradei's report "makes clear"
that Tehran failed to meet IAEA demands in a February 4 resolution
to suspend all enrichment and cooperate fully with agency inspectors.
The IAEA reported Iran to the Security Council on that day but
asked it to hold off on any action until ElBaradei had made an
assessment report.
"Everybody is looking forward to a political settlement,"
ElBaradei said.
"What we need at this stage is for people to lower the rhetoric,
to see how we can go forward.
AFP
03 08 06
Copyright
© 2006 AFP. All rights reserved
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