Iran Vows To Press On With Nuclear Work

NUKEWARS

Iran Rules Out Nuclear Freeze
Tehran (AFP) Jul 01 - Iran on Sunday again ruled out a freeze to its uranium enrichment programme, despite the threat of tougher UN sanctions over its defiance. "Suspending enrichment is not on the agenda," foreign ministry spokesman Mohamamd Ali Hosseini told reporters. He was responding to media reports about a "time-out" proposed to Iran by world powers, which would halt a third set of UN sanctions against Tehran if it stopped expanding its uranium enrichment work, in a bid to restart talks. "Some media and European officials have talked about a plan which includes suspending our nuclear activities. This is nothing new, it was brought up by the (International Atomic Energy) Agency chief," he said. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei had earlier proposed a plan which would lift sanctions against Iran if it froze all its enrichment activities. Hosseini said that different aspects of the "time out" plan were discussed in meetings between Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. "No decisions have been made no far. If it is necessary, the plan will be further discussed," he said. Iranian leaders vowed to press on with the country's nuclear programme, which is feared to be a cover for secret weapons development. Iran denies the allegation, insisting its atomic work is aimed at peaceful ends. The UN Security Council has imposed two sets of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend enrichment, a process which can be used to make nuclear fuel as well as atom bombs.

by Staff Writers
Tehran (AFP) Jul 01, 2007
Iran on Saturday dismissed the threat of fresh UN sanctions and announced an impending visit by a senior atomic watchdog official for talks over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. "The Iranian nation will pursue its right and the disturbances will have no effect," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by state-run television.

Khamenei backed the defiant policy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has vowed Iran will not back down on its nuclear work in the face of international pressures.

"Iran's foreign policy has always been offensive. Unfortunately at certain times there was a defensive policy, which was a mistake," Khamenei said in a ceremony marking the second anniversary of Ahmadinejad's election.

"The policy of resistance to defend Iran's (nuclear) right will continue without any faltering," said the president.

The UN Security Council has already imposed two sets of sanctions against Iran after it failed to heed ultimatums to suspend uranium enrichment, the process that makes nuclear fuel but in highly extended form can also produce the fissile core of an atomic bomb.

The West suspects that Iran's nuclear programme is a cover for a push to develop the bomb, although Iran has said repeatedly that it is for civilian purposes only.

The Security Council could toughen Iran sanctions, which now target people and institutions involved in its nuclear and missiles programmes, and impose travel bans, freezing of bank accounts and inspections of Iranian cargo ships and aircraft.

But in comments published on Saturday, Ahmadinejad brushed off the threat saying: "They cannot hurt us, not that they don't want to but because they are incapable of doing so as they are in a difficult situation."

Ahmadinejad added, "The global arrogance cannot stop the Iranian nation," in an allusion to the United States, the main ally of Israel, the only country in the Middle East believed to have a nuclear arsenal.

Washington has never ruled out military action to stop Iran's nuclear drive.

Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday that UN resolutions had only hastened Iran's enrichment work.

"At the moment Iran has speeded up its enrichment activities, so Security Council resolutions have had a positive effect on this work," Ali Asghar Soltanieh told the student ISNA news agency.

He also said that construction work on a heavy water reactor in Arak, in central Iran, was continuing without delay, despite IAEA calls to halt the work.

A senior diplomat with ties to the IAEA said that Iran was already operating more than 1,300 centrifuges for enrichment by mid-May at its Natanz plant and could have 3,000 by the end of July.

Under ideal conditions they could produce enough highly enriched uranium to produce a nuclear weapon within a year at most.

But Iran says it is willing to resolve questions over the nature of its nuclear programme with the IAEA, which has been unable to fully verify Iran's atomic work.

Soltanieh announced meanwhile that IAEA deputy director general Olli Heinonen will visit Tehran from July 11 to 13 to "examine a work plan to respond to all remaining issues over Iran's nuclear programme."

Soltanieh told ISNA that Heinonen, who heads the Department of Safeguards, will be accompanied by IAEA officials "who are not inspectors and will not carry out any inspections into Iran's nuclear facilities."

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani invited the IAEA team to Tehran after talks last week in Vienna with UN watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

Larijani had undertaken to define within two months an action plan with the IAEA, which is demanding the possibility of checking on the ground whether Iran's nuclear programme has military ambitions.

Soltanieh said the visit will precede a new meeting between Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana who have held talks aimed at finding a way out of the standoff.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

NUKEWARS

US See No Breakthrough Despite Iranian Nuclear Pledge

Washington (AFP) Jun 26, 2007
The United States said Monday it did not expect a breakthough in the nuclear dispute with Iran despite a pledge by Tehran to develop a blueprint with the UN atomic wathdog to resolve the crisis. After the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it would send inspectors to Iran "as early as practicable" to develop an action plan for resolving issues over its sensitive nuclear program, Washington questioned the Islamic republic's track record in meeting its commitments.

INTERNET SPACE Vizada Launches SkyFile Access For Better Mobile Satellite Data Transfer Bringing Mobile Cellular Phones To The Skyways Rockwell Collins And ARINC Sign Agreement For Broadband Offering Academic Group Releases Plan To Share Power Over Internet Root Zone Keys	LAUNCH PAD Boeing Lockheed Rocketeers Turn To SAP For Bettter ERP Arianespace Orders 35 Ariane 5 ECA Rockets Spacehab Subsidiary Wins New NASA Launch Processing Contract At Vandenberg Arianespace Winning Launch Contracts From Across The World
AEROSPACE Europe Bans All Indonesian Airlines From EU Airspace France Supports Cap On Airline Carbon Emissions Too Little Scope For Development Of Current Aircraft Technology F-35 Lightning 2 Pushing Ahead On All Fronts	MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS Boeing Showcases Operational TSAT System During Critical Review Lockheed Martin Shifts Into Production Phase Of Navy Narrowband Tactical Satellite First Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite Packed And Ready For Shipment Major Integration Milestone Achieved On Advanced Military Communications Satellite
TECH SPACE Science Module Structure Arrives At Astrium UK Japanese Firm Develops Glove That Feels 3D Images Maryland Professor Creates Desktop Supercomputer Prototype Conference To Focus On Space Technology	APPOINTMENTS Hall Appoints Feeney To Top GOP Position On Space And Aeronautics Subcommittee Dodgen Joins Northrop Grumman As Vice President Of Strategy For Missile Systems Business Townsend To Lead Ball Aerospace Exploration Systems In Huntsville NASA Nobel Prize Recipient To Lead Chief Scientist Office
EARTH OBSERVATION GOP House Science Committee To Evaluate NASA Earth Science Budget Subcommittee Continues Look At Status of NASA Earth Science Programs QuikSCAT Marks Eight Years On-Orbit Watching Planet Earth Ukraine To Launch Earth Observation Satellite In 2008	GPS NEWS Cooperation Agreement For Satellite Navigation In Africa ESA Launches New Program For Air Traffic Management Via Satellite GPS Wing At LA Air Force Base Changes Command Northrop Grumman Delivers First Production Stellar Navigation System To US Air Force

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement