Iran Rebuffing IAEA Proposal To Enrich Iranian Nuclear Materials

Yesterday, the IAEA claimed that they had a proposal in place for Russia and France to accept much of the partially enriched uranium from Iran's nuclear program and process it for civilian usage. That deal required acceptance by the US, Iran, and other parties, and today it seems that we have our answer.

Iran isn't going to accept this deal, even though it gives Iran the ability to continue a nuclear weapons program. The Iranians don't want any interference in their nuclear program at all, even if it means that Iran gets enriched uranium from Russia and France as part of the deal.

"They (the West) tell us: you give us your 3.5 percent enriched uranium and we will give you the fuel for the reactor. It is not acceptable to us," parliament's deputy speaker Mohammad Reza Bahonar was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency.

"The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is obliged to provide us with the fuel based on the safeguards," he said.

Iran has yet to give an official reaction to the plan submitted by the IAEA Agency after talks this week in Vienna.

Western diplomats said it would require Tehran to send 1.2 tons of its known 1.5-tonne reserve of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia and France by the end of the year. The material would be converted into fuel for a nuclear medicine facility in Tehran.

Iran's IAEA envoy has hinted that his government may seek amendments. Western diplomats suggested this could jeopardize the deal if they overstepped "red lines" set to create confidence that Tehran is not pursuing a nuclear weapons option.

The mullahs and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dominate the Iranian parliament, so this was an unofficial official response to the IAEA proposal.

The proposal is meant to slow down the Iranian nuclear weapons program, not stop it. Iran is fully engaged in nuclear weapons development and their enrichment facilities are designed with that purpose in mind.

The Iranians are playing the IAEA and the rest of the world. They know that they need time to get sufficient weapons grade uranium. Engaging in "negotiations" with the West and the IAEA gives the nuclear weapons scientists time to perfect their methods to enrich the uranium. The more time the Iranians have, the sooner they will have the materials necessary to build nuclear weapons.