Iran: No Stopping Uranium Enrichment

(AP)  Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki reiterated Tuesday his country would never again suspend uranium enrichment — a move that the United States says is essential for Washington-Tehran negotiations.

"Demands that Iran halt enrichment are illegal and illegitimate and based on an incorrect political strategy. This (suspension) will never materialize," the official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Mottaki as telling a conference in the capital Tehran.

However, Iran is prepared to negotiate about its nuclear program "without any preconditions," he said.

Iran suspended enrichment activities in 2003 as a goodwill gesture toward negotiations with Britain, France and Germany, but it resumed the process in January 2006 when it concluded that the talks were leading nowhere.

Enriched uranium is used to fuel nuclear reactors but uranium enriched to a high degree is used to make atomic bombs.

The United States and some of its allies object to Iran's enrichment process because they believe it is secretly trying to build nuclear weapons.

Iran denies this, saying its enrichment is solely so that it can be self-sufficient in fuel for its Russian-built nuclear reactor.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated this weekend that she would negotiate with Mottaki as soon as Iran had suspended enrichment.

But Washington's making suspension a precondition for talks was criticized by two opinion-makers at a conference on international security in New York on Monday.

Former chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said the U.S. condition for negotiations was "humiliating" for Iran.

"This is in a way like telling a child: first you will behave and thereafter you will be given your rewards," Blix said.

And a former U.S. State Department official, Richard Haass, who now heads the Council on Foreign Relations, said the call for stopping enrichment should not be allowed to "torpedo diplomacy."

But Haass also criticized Iran for defying the U.N. Security Council, which has repeatedly called on Tehran to stop enrichment.

The Security Council's Big Five members plus Germany began talks on Monday on taking further steps against Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had ignored demands for a suspension and instead had expanded its enrichment program.

In December the Security Council imposed limited sanctions on Iran.

[tbweb]

Attacking Iran will lead to a Holy War! Iran will launch its own crusade! Iran will make sure if the U.S. attacks it will be viewed as an attack on Islam not Iran! The U.S. must understand and master the fact that these new wars are against an enemy with no traditional borders and wear no particular uniform. The U.S. will make it seem like its a war between states and Iran will make it seem like its a war between religions and against Islam! The U.S. must make sure Iran fires the first shot and its questionable if Irans development of nuclear technology will be viewed as that first shot. Iran is especially complicated because an attack on Iran won't yield the response the U.S. expects, Iran will go all out in every way and won't stop for decades! Its a very nasty situation!

[grazinggoat]

When your land is infested with snakes, you gotta kill 'em as they emerge from beneath the rocks they hide under. Same thing with terrorists. Now that they are squirm out among free peoples they are in dire need of exterminating. All of them.
Posted by Musty2U

Moisty2U: are-you calling for a genocide? You are of the same nature then, Hitler, Neron, Caligula...

Is that what Jesus taught you to preach Moisty2U ?

[karlimhof]

tbweb

Iran has called to talks - but without preconditions. Sounds fair but Bush won't accept because he really doesn't want to negotitate. The neocon APAC has to be realized. Got it?

[karlimhof]

I'm afraid if Bush does
not do something we are going to die.

Posted by kaili3


what else are you afraid of sissy, sleeping with the night lamp out? you're suffering from mass hysteria obviously.

[tbweb]

Loyalty to the U.S. comes first, everything else comes second. If the U.S. is wrong then we fix it but in no case do we hope the U.S. fail or help it fail just because we don't agree, we fix it. Iran needs to understand that if the U.S. determines it is close to developing nuclear weapons it will be stopped, one way or the other. This is non-negotiable! If Iran wants nuclear energy it should let Russia handle the processing until Iran builds enough trust. Russia agreed to handle the processing for Irans nuclear projects, so why did Iran change it's mind? There is a solution on the table, so what is the problem?

[musty2u]

When your land is infested with snakes, you gotta kill 'em as they emerge from beneath the rocks they hide under. Same thing with terrorists. Now that they are squirm out among free peoples they are in dire need of exterminating. All of them.

[tuckerndfw]

What I'm saying is Recently. No one has bothered them in recent years. I believe they are trying to taunt us into battle. I'm afraid if Bush does
not do something we are going to die.

Posted by kaili3 at 10:09 AM : Feb 27, 2007

Iran poses no threat to the US. Your fears would be better focused on the lunatic in the White House. He is a far more serious threat to the US & world than anyone else.

Attacking Iran will only increase the threat of "terrorism" against US targets by another 1,000% and is a stupid idea since Iran wants to be an ally, not an enemy.

[kaili3]

Hey,I like you USinfidel,my thoughts exactly, if
they want to mess with us ,I say we give it back and 10 times harder.

[us_infidel]

Go ahead, Iran....develope it. And the second we can trace a nuclear weapon of any kind back to your pathetic country, we will bomb you from air, land, and sea for the next 10 years. Fair enough?

[kaili3]

and by the way,Sparky as you like to call me,
What I'm saying is Recently. No one has bothered them in recent years. I believe they are trying to taunt us into battle. I'm afraid if Bush does
not do something we are going to die.