AP Photo
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, right, talks with Afghan Interior Minister, Ali Ahmad Jalali, during their official meeting today in Tehran, Iran.
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said today it would resume uranium enrichment for civilian purposes once its problems with the International Atomic Energy Agency were resolved.
Iran's defense minister also said its military had built low-level nuclear centrifuges primarily for civilian use.
"It's our legitimate right to enrich uranium," Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said after a Cabinet meeting. "We suspended uranium enrichment voluntarily and temporarily. Later, when our relations with the IAEA returns to normal, we will definitely resume enrichment."
He warned European partners Iran could end nuclear cooperation if they fail to support Tehran.
The comments by both ministers came as a key meeting of the U.N. atomic agency in Vienna moved closer to agreement today, after the United States and key European powers agreed to praise Tehran's increased openness about its nuclear programs but also criticize it for continuing to hide some suspicious activities.
Undeclared uranium enrichment by Iran was one of the reasons behind an IAEA probe of Iran's nuclear facilities. The United States insists Iran be declared in breach of its international agreements, including uranium enrichment and plutonium processing. U.S. officials say those activities point to a nuclear weapons agenda.
Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said Iran's military industries, which also build parts and machinery for the civil sector, had produced the relatively unsophisticated P-1 centrifuges, which are used for low-grade uranium enrichment. But he said Iran had not been involved in producing more advanced P-2 models, used in producing weapons-grade enriched uranium.
Shamkhani's comments were the first suggestion by any senior Iranian official that the military has been involved in at least some aspects of the nuclear program.
"It is no secret. We have produced P-1, not P-2, contrary to U.S. allegations," Shamkhani said, when asked if the military was involved in any nuclear production.
"It's natural in the world that defense industries produce civilian parts. We in the defense industries produce parts for civilian planes, vehicle parts and even television sets," he said.
"We have also produced some parts for Iran's nuclear energy program including P-1," he said.
Iran has acknowledged having thousands of the less-advanced P-1 centrifuges, but the IAEA has questioned Iran on blueprints in its possession for the more advanced equipment.
Iran has always maintained that its nuclear program is purely for civilian purposes, and does not have any military applications. It told the IAEA that the blueprints never got off the research stage.
In the draft, United States compromised with Britain, France and Germany to tone down criticism of Iran's continued nuclear secrecy and give some praise of Tehran's willingness to open its programs to outside perusal.
Kharrazi also warned that Iran could end nuclear cooperation, and called on its European partners to resist U.S. pressure at the Vienna meeting.
"We recommend the three European countries to remain committed to their obligations (toward Tehran) and resist U.S. pressures if they want the project of cooperation between Iran and them to lead to results," Kharrazi said.
He warned that Iran would stop cooperating with the three nations if they fail to support Iran.
"Cooperation is a two way street. If they don't fulfill their obligations, there is no reason for us to cooperate," he said.
The draft made available to The Associated Press noted "with the most serious concern" that past declarations made by Iran "did not amount to the correct, complete and final picture of Iran's past and present nuclear program."
It criticized Iran for "failing to resolve all questions" about uranium enrichment, which can be used to make weapons, saying it "deplores" this lapse.
Kharrazi accused the IAEA of giving in to U.S. pressure.
"The U.S. wants to use every opportunity to pressure Iran and pursues its own strategy. Despite the fact that we have offered maximum cooperation with the IAEA ... unfortunately, the agency is sometimes influenced by the U.S., while it should maintain its technical and professional identity," Kharrazi said.
The United States insists Iran wants to make nuclear weapons and wanted the meeting to condemn it for not fully living up to pledges to reveal all past and present nuclear activities. But the Europeans wanted to focus on Iranian cooperation that began after the discovery last year that Tehran had plans to enrich uranium and secretly conducted other tests with possible weapons applications over nearly two decades.
An enrichment program would be necessary for producing nuclear weapons, which Iran repeatedly has said is not its intent. Low-enriched uranium is used as a fuel for electricity generating in nuclear power plants.
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Although it is terrible that the tragedy in MN had to happen, it's refreshing to hear that Gov. Kulongoski is going forward with suggestions from the Oregon Concrete and Aggregate industries. The concrete and cement people have been yelling about the importance of these inspections and maintenance of bridges for years.
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