Iran's Uranium Program Remains Unchanged

Gov't Spokesman Says Enrichment Efforts Will Continue Despite Western Entreaties, But Tehran Will "Negotiate"

(AP)  Iran's nuclear program remains unchanged, a government spokesman said Saturday, indicating that Tehran has no plans to meet a key Western demand that it stop enriching uranium.

Gholam Hossein Elham's insistence that Iran would not change the central part of its controversial program came a day after Iran sent the European Union its response to an international proposal to curb its program in exchange for economic incentives. The content of the response has not been made public.

"Iran's stand regarding its peaceful nuclear program has not changed," Elham told reporters.

Iran's ambassador to Belgium presented the response to the package to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Brussels on Friday, and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, spoke with Solana by phone, Iranian state media has reported.

European officials said they were studying the Iranian response and were consulting among themselves and with the United States, Russia and China on what to do next.

A positive response could open the way to renewed negotiations that might help cool recent sharp exchanges between officials on both sides. In recent weeks the U.S. and Iran have traded threats and warnings over possible American or Israeli military action.

But one European official cautioned about possible progress on the issue, and Elham's comments did not indicate that a breakthrough was made.

"It was not something that made us jump up and down for joy," said the official. "We are in a holding mode until we get a chance to look at it more closely." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was confidential.

Elham also said Iran was ready to negotiate on its program "within the framework of the international rules and regulations." He did not elaborate, but Iranian state media reported Friday that Solana and Jalili agreed during their conversation to hold the latest in a series of talks in the second half of July.

Acting on behalf of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, Solana offered the modified package of economic incentives to Iran during his June visit to the country. The offer is meant to persuade Iran to halt enrichment, which the six world powers fear Iran could use to produce weapons.

Iran has repeatedly insisted it will not give up enrichment, saying its only aim is to produce nuclear power, not weapons. But it had said the incentives package had some "common ground" with Tehran's own proposals for a resolution to the standoff.

Separately, EU nations also approved new sanctions against Iran in June, imposing additional financial and travel restrictions on a list of Iranian companies and experts, including the country's largest bank.

The six nations - the U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany - first offered a package of economic, technological and political incentives to Tehran nearly two years ago on condition that it suspend enrichment.

The standoff has led to increasingly tense exchanges about the possibility of a military strike by Israel or the U.S. An Israeli military exercise last month was seen as a warning to Iran.

The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards has said that Iran would consider any military action against its nuclear facilities as the beginning of a war. However, the general also has said he thinks a strike by Iran's adversaries is unlikely.

[edintex]

The Islamic Iranian nut cases should take a lesson from Saddam Hussain. TO THE VERY END, Hussain did not believe the U.S. would strike. He miscalculated. There are at least a handful of intelligent people in Iran. I know because I met one of them once a long time ago. I hope the intelligent Iranians can talk sense to their leadership.

[iran-power]

first god blase REPUBLIC ISLAMIC OF IRAN
secound jews suck it up your dady won t do it because you dady know what s gona happed if thay do it the only thing you( israelis ) can do it that you can go f*** you self

[tbweb]

Israel is a clear and present danger to themselves and others, to be sure.

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Posted by FeelFree4U at 03:26 PM : Jul 06, 2008


FEELY IS FULL OF IT.

Posted by noseonurface at 08:48 AM : Jul 07, 2008,,,

True! But I have to give FEELY a little credit, just a little!, after CBSNEWS kicked him off a million times he has softened his rhetoric a lot, FEELY is not as acid and bombastic like in the past, knowing it will get its userid canceled yet again like lars!

[factsearcher]

Read the latest words from Ahjmajenad:

"Not only the US and Israel, but a hundred others like them cannot attack Iran and they know it themselves," the Iranian president was quoted as saying.

He went on to say that US President George W. Bush "has many satanic and inhuman wishes, including confrontation with Iran," and that "none of his wishes have come true."

"They know the Iranian nation and are aware that they cannot talk to us with the language of force and threats. They must give in to the will of the Iranian nation," he added.

[dmhphils]

Israel is a clear and present danger to themselves and others, to be sure.



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Posted by FeelFree4U at 03:26 PM : Jul 06, 2008


FEELY IS FULL OF IT.

[samsel3]

Reuters uk January 18, 2008 :
" Iran has some awesome colleagues. Russia and China have become guardians of the Iranian economy. They don''t put religion between business and political advantages. The US is sorely lacking in intelligent Foreign Policy. Hitler''s Foreign Policy has been resurrected to serve the needs of an oil agenda and turn the US into the most disrespected and despised world power ".

[samsel3]

In an interview published by the French, dedefensa.org journalist Amy Goodman''s interview with General Wesley Clark.

Clark stated he viewed a defense department memo that described how the U.S. was going to take out seven countries in five years...."starting with Iraq,then Syria and Lebanon, then Libya,then Somalia and Sudan, and back to Iran."

[samsel3]

Nothing has changed on Iran. The administrations interest in Iran & nukes is a smoke screen for their real agenda.

Their true interests are Cheney''''s energy policy.Condi Rice is a former board member of Chevron Oil and mouthpiece for the administrations energy policy. Part of that policy is the The Caspian Sea pipeline which will go through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,Pakistan, to the gulf of Oman and on to India & Nepal.

It will be cheaper to construct if they can go through Iran, but regime change is necessary first. The Caspian sea area holds one third of the world''''s oil and south asian oil markets are their target market. This pipeline was also the reason for the Afghanistan invasion.

Cheney''s energy policy is the root of all these middle east wars, a federal court judge sealed all documents associated with it for the administration, and the national media are not allowed to discuss or comment on it. More troops are needed in Afghanistan to protect the contractors building the pipeline. Iran stands in the way of total control of global oil now with sales of oil to China''''s Sinopec Oil,deal signed Dec.10,2007.

Months ago China said there would be dire consequences if the US interfered with there direct oil contracts with Iran.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "Iran''s Uranium Program Remains Unchanged"

So, it was within their legal rights under the NPT yesterday, and it continues to be within their legal rights under the NPT today.

Obviously, this is a non-issue.

I guess we can now concentrate on the illegal nuclear weapons that the collapsing welfare/terror-State of Israel has at present.

Israel is a clear and present danger to themselves and others, to be sure.

[element51]

demslie2u....Please demslie, don''t say that all democrats hate America. You know that isn''t true and it does nothing to promote a reasonable discussion. As a democrat I find it insulting that you would make a statement like that. Do you base that solely on the fact that we see some things in a different way than you? How can we even hope to find solutions to problems if we are at war within our own country? I don''t want to fight with you, I want to search for answers with you and maybe together we can come up with some ideas that would be helpful. I''m sure that you are a reasonable person who can see that what I am proposing makes sense. Let''s try to be civil toward each other and stop the name calling.