Iran poised to defy UN nuclear deadline

TEHRAN – Iran’s hardline leadership was yesterday poised to defy a UN Security Council deadline to freeze sensitive nuclear work, confident that it can escape any tough sanctions or US military action.

In Washington, the White House said the country was facing further international isolation after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened global retaliation to any American military action. The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was scheduled to release a report Friday on Iranian compliance with its probe into allegations the country is seeking nuclear weapons.”This is a regime that continues to defy the international community.It continues to ignore and refuses to abide by its obligations,” White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, as Iran looked set to ignore Friday’s UN deadline to stop uranium enrichment.Iran insists it has a right to enrich to make reactor fuel, but the process can be extended to make nuclear weapons.Western powers, led by the United States, are convinced Iran is seeking either a nuclear bomb or the “strategic capacity” to make one.”This is a regime that continues to further isolate itself from the rest of the world, by its statements, by its threats, and by its actions,” McClellan said.In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang issued an appeal for calm.Like Russia, China has been opposed to imposing sanctions or military action.”We indeed think the Iranian nuclear issue is at a crucial stage,” he said.”We hope all parties concerned can keep calm, exercise restraint and create favourable conditions so as to properly resolve this issue.”Russian President Vladimir Putin also said the IAEA needed to continue playing a key role in the crisis – signalling his reluctance to see the matter fully referred to the Security Council “We believe it is the IAEA that must play a key role and not have this weight unloaded on to the back of the Security Council,” Putin said.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is Iran’s largest European trading partner, also called for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff at a joint press conference with Putin.Iran said it had held “encouraging” last-minute talks with IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei on Wednesday, but there appeared to be no sign of any compromise on enrichment.- Nampa-AFPThe UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was scheduled to release a report Friday on Iranian compliance with its probe into allegations the country is seeking nuclear weapons.”This is a regime that continues to defy the international community.It continues to ignore and refuses to abide by its obligations,” White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, as Iran looked set to ignore Friday’s UN deadline to stop uranium enrichment.Iran insists it has a right to enrich to make reactor fuel, but the process can be extended to make nuclear weapons.Western powers, led by the United States, are convinced Iran is seeking either a nuclear bomb or the “strategic capacity” to make one.”This is a regime that continues to further isolate itself from the rest of the world, by its statements, by its threats, and by its actions,” McClellan said.In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang issued an appeal for calm.Like Russia, China has been opposed to imposing sanctions or military action.”We indeed think the Iranian nuclear issue is at a crucial stage,” he said.”We hope all parties concerned can keep calm, exercise restraint and create favourable conditions so as to properly resolve this issue.”Russian President Vladimir Putin also said the IAEA needed to continue playing a key role in the crisis – signalling his reluctance to see the matter fully referred to the Security Council “We believe it is the IAEA that must play a key role and not have this weight unloaded on to the back of the Security Council,” Putin said.German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is Iran’s largest European trading partner, also called for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff at a joint press conference with Putin.Iran said it had held “encouraging” last-minute talks with IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei on Wednesday, but there appeared to be no sign of any compromise on enrichment.- Nampa-AFP