World To Iran: It's Your Move First

France Is Latest To Say No Talks Until Iran Stops Nuclear Production

(CBS/AP) 
A draft resolution for the meeting, read in part to The Associated Press in Vienna, says Britain is proposing that the 35-nation IAEA refer Iran to the Security Council, but it stops short of calling for punitive measures.

Instead, the draft urges the 15-nation council to press Tehran "to extend full and prompt cooperation to the agency" in its investigation of suspect nuclear activities.

Other members of the IAEA board, including Egypt, also are cautious about Security Council involvement.

"In view of the overall situation, we regard the possibility of the hauling of Iran's nuclear case to the Security Council to be weak," Mottaki told Iranian radio.

"During the past 10 days we have tried to relay our message to all relevant parties, including the Europeans, about readiness of Iran to negotiate on the production of nuclear fuel."

Mottaki said he hoped European countries would avoid taking steps that could only worsen the current situation — an apparent reference to U.S. and European talk of sanctions.

The United States accuses Iran of trying to secretly build nuclear weapons — a charge Iran denies. Britain, France and Germany have been trying to persuade Iran to import nuclear fuel, but Iran has rejected this.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the West of trying to deprive Iran of peaceful technology.

"We are asking they step down from their ivory towers and act with a little logic," Ahmadinejad said. "Who are you to deprive us from fulfilling our goals?

"You think you are the lord of the world and everybody should follow you. But that idea is a wrong idea."

"The Iranians want to make this about their rights. It's not about their rights. It's about the ability of the international system to trust them with the capabilities and technologies that could lead to a nuclear weapon," Rice said. "They have a history with IAEA of not disclosing, with covering their activities and so no one does trust them with those technologies."

Meanwhile, a delegation of Israeli security experts was in Moscow on Wednesday to meet with Russia's Security Council and Foreign Ministry in hopes of winning Russian backing for Security Council referral.

Russia's Interfax news agency said the head of country's nuclear energy agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, met with the delegation led by Israeli National Security Chief Giora Eiland.

The delegation hopes to win Russian backing for referring the Iranian nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council, the Web site of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. A referral to the council, where Russia is a permanent veto-wielding member, could result in sanctions against Iran.

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, while calling Iran the only remaining threat to Israel's existence, said Israel would not launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. He said other nations should do it instead. The big question is what if the U.S., Europe and the U.N. do nothing. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Israel cannot allow Iran to get the atom bomb.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy was scheduled to meet with Russian officials on Thursday.