Brussels, 03/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - Iran hoped to resume its uranium conversion activity on Wednesday at the Ispahan site, the same day as the investiture of the new president of the Islamic Republic, the extreme conservative, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The former mayor of Teheran, who takes over from the “reformist” Mohammad Khatami, was elected end June (with 61.69% of the votes), on the strength of his campaign for the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution and in favour of a better distribution of oil wealth. It was in this strained international climate due to Iran's nuclear activities that the first secular president since 1981 was invested into his new position by the supreme guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Between simple diplomatic defiance and a real risk of upheaval, the tone of exchanges between Teheran and the international community has grown tougher since Tuesday. In response to Teheran's ultimatum to the EU3 (Germany, France and the UK), who were invited to make their new package of proposals as of Monday, the Europeans said that resuming the nuclear programme in Ispahan would lead to negotiations breaking off (see EUROPE 9002).
The Iranians, who played down the scope of their decision on 31 July, consider that uranium conversion does not mean uranium enrichment. On Tuesday, Agha Mohammadi, one of the Iranian negotiators, asserted that he did not want “confrontation with the Europeans” and that the “road for negotiation remains open”. In a letter addressed on Tuesday to the chief Iranian negotiator, Hassan Rowahni, the EU3 clearly pointed out that resumption of uranium conversion would mean a unilateral break in the Paris agreements, which “would put an end to our dialogue”. The EU3, which contemplates in its letter calling for the convening of a “special meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in coming days” adds that resumption of nuclear activity in Ispahan would not “leave any other options than to undertake other kinds of action”. This could take Iran before the United Nations Security Council, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Tuesday. Such warnings are not received warmly by Teheran where a government spokesman proclaimed “the time of threats and intimidation is over”. Considering that they have received very little in return for suspending the nuclear programme, Iran is now endeavouring to put pressure on the international community. The comprehensive package of cooperation, technological, commercial and political proposals from the EU3 has still to be submitted to Teheran this week. “It is a matter of days”, but the timetable concerns three capitals, the Commission said, considering that this week is “crucial for relations between the EU and Iran”.