Iran Rejects Halting the Uranium Enrichment Program Again

Iranian officials announced yesterday that their country would not halt the uranium enrichment program, reiterating the fact that the Islamic republic would continue its nuclear agenda.

In an interview with a national news agency, Ali Hosseinitash, the chief of strategic affairs at the Supreme National Security Council, stated: "Suspension is definitely not on Iran's agenda". In turn, this would mean that no breakthrough would be recorded on Wednesday, when Iranian nuclear top negotiator Ali Larijani is expected to meet Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief in Brussels. Moreover, this type of declaration might mean that no direct talks between the Bush administration and Iran would be recorded either, as the latter offered if Iran had cooperated on this issue.

According to a European Union diplomat, Solana will inform Larijani that Tehran needs to officially comply with the entire package of nuclear incentives by July 12th, when the UN Security Council foreign ministers, meaning the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China, as well as Germany, will meet in Paris, in order to discuss the Iranian nuclear problem.

The official, who liked to keep his anonymity given the importance of the issue, added that if Iran does not provide any kind of answer by that time, then the United Nations and its Security Council will be forced to draft a resolution regarding the enforcement of economic and political sanctions against Iran. This statement comes in contradiction with what Iran had initially declared and reiterated that it would not respond to the incentives earlier than August, since time is needed in order to sort out what has been labeled as "questions and ambiguities".