Iran FM: We're willing to consider nuclear fuel swap
Ahamdinejad: Iran will consider deal over nuke program when U.S., Western nations stop issuing threats.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Israel news Iran nuclearIranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Saturday that Tehran was ready to consider a recent proposal issued by Western nations under which Iran would obtain nuclear fuel from outside sources rather than producing it itself, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"We are ready to examine proposals by the other side about the fuel swap," Mottaki told IRNA.
The United States dismissed earlier this month an offer to swap 400 kilograms of low-enriched uranium on the Iranian island of Kish for nuclear fuel enriched to 20 percent, in what would be the first phase of a deal with world powers.
Mottaki reiterated a mid-December statement that Iran did not "insist on" the Kish plan.
"The objective of that proposal was to open a way for the other side," the news agency quoted Mottaki as saying.
On Friday, the French news agency AFP quoted Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as having said that Iran would be willing to reach a deal with the West over its controversial nuclear program as soon as the U.S. and other Western nations stopped issuing threats against Iran.
"Everything is possible, 400 kilos, 800 kilos, it's nothing," for enrichment abroad, Ahmadinejad was quoted by AFP as saying in a new gesture to try to end the nuclear standoff.
"But not in a climate where they threaten us. They have to change their vocabulary, in respect and legality," Ahmadinejad said.
Six world powers have urged Iran to accept a United Nations-drafted proposal that would have Iran ship 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Russia in one batch.
"From the outset, delivering 1,200 kilos of uranium was not a problem for us," said Ahmadinejad, "but they believe they can wave a stick to threaten us, those days are over."
U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has signaled that time is running out for the diplomatic approach to resolving the nuclear dispute with Iran. Both the U.S. and Israel have not ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities should diplomacy fail.
"They are threatening us now, with sanctions, with resolutions, pressure, it's going backwards," said Ahmadinejad.
The six world powers are expected to consult by telephone on December 22, and are considering a fourth round of UN sanctions against Tehran come January.
In his interview with AFP, Ahmadinejad repeated many times that "America and the others" - referring also to Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - "must change [their] attitude and we will sit at the table to find an agreement."
He called for "a middle way," but warned, "If they say again that they want to take out [low-enriched uranium] to prevent Iran from making the bomb, it will be an insult.
"If we want to make a bomb we would not be afraid of the United States?but we do not want to make a bomb," Ahmadinejad said.
"Our policy is transparent. If we wanted to make a bomb we would be brave enough to say so. When we say that we are not making one, we are not. We do not believe in it [the bomb]."
Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes and rejects Western suspicions that it is trying to develop a bomb.Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin said earlier this week that Iran has over the last year accumulated enough materials to create a nuclear bomb and warned: "The technological clock has almost finished winding."
Yadlin said that Iran had embarked on a "measured and sophisticated strategy for a solid nuclear infrastructure, by spreading out in facilities both overt and covert, while simultaneously developing a military capability that would allow a breakthrough when it so decides."
According to Yadlin, there are three clocks now ticking with regard to Iran's contentious nuclear program - those of technology, diplomacy and of the stability of the Islamic regime. Technologically, said Yadlin, time was almost up.
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Israel has two nuclear weapons problems. One strategic, one tactical. The strategic problem is being able to destroy major industrial/political/population targets which given a limited ability to produce fission weapons can only be met with thermonuclear weapons. The other is the ability to stop any army which was on the verge of destroying Israel. This would require large numbers of low yield - preferably enhance radiation - weapons. In either case this would require the use of neutrons to create tritium instead of plutonium . . . Look it up.
They may wish to see sanctions proceed regardless and therefore proposed a fait acomplit to Iran. Trust us with your low enriched uranium and we will return it in 12 months fit for use in your civil reactors. Iran have said that any provision of enriched uranium should be synchronous with Iran handing over LEU for Russian/French processing, not 'we[Iran] give ours to you and you return it some time down the road'. This is the only way that Iran can be sure of ever seeing its uranium again. They would be foolish to accept the US at its word. Its word is no more valid than that of the Iranians. See how Clinton Obama et all shafted the Guatemalan ex Zelayah only weeks ago having given their pledge that he would be returned to office under their brokered agreement. Iran should give as much credence to Hilary and crew on these matters as I would have trusted her husband's claim that he never had sex with that woman.
IMF and WB are still pushing overdebted africa into more debt?
It is worth remembering that Iran, a member of the IAEA and NNPT signatory, has a near-finished nuclear power station and associated infrastructure capable ONLY of generating electricity. Israel on the other hand has a clandestine arsenal of 200-400 nuclear warheads and ZERO electricity generating capacity from nuclear sources.
"so they can shoot rockets towards cities where Israeli CIVILIANS reside in" not to be confused with the USA who supply ISrael with planes, helicopters, bombs etc etc used against civilians in places like Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon, right.
"Marg Bar Emriika!" and "Marg Bar Izrayil!" in farsi during friday speeches translate to `Death to America` and `Death to Israel`. 'Down with America' and 'Down with Israel' are closer translations, JSYK
Iran you almost make me feel I was an Iranian I am happy being a Basque, you speak with true greet keep it up I love it.
iran is the one pursuing nuclear weapons in violation of its obligations and international mandates. iran is the one repressing and torturing its people. iran's totalitarian regime does not depend on outside sources for its survival. it survives exclusively through brute force. the pursuit of nuclear weapons are part of iran's power grab and attempt to dominate the region.
so, when are you going to tell Israel, America, France etc to pursue Solar rather than nuclear. Oh, and are you going to pay for the ongoing maintenance of these hundreds of thousands solar panels ?
so what if Iran wants nuclear power? they never started any wars in this century or the last, so why are they a threat?
"Marg Bar Emriika!" and "Marg Bar Izrayil!" in farsi during friday speeches translate to 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel'. Maybe the government and imams of Iran should stop threatening the West so they can be the ones to be trusted with nuclear energy. You say you are for peace and stability, but other words and actions speak otherwise (examples: beating and jailing of protestors, executions of homosexuals, shipping weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah so they can shoot rockets towards cities where Israeli CIVILIANS reside in)
Every time I visit the Haaretz site, there's always some paranoid article about the Iranian threat to Israel. Iran has no need of nuclear weaponry to destroy Israel. If it had the desire, it has ample conventional weaponry to complete the task. And if Israel attacks Iran, then there's no way that the Islamic world will sit on the sidelines!
OK. Threats stopped one week. Strike a deal in one week, or else !
The claim that Iran nuclear program are for "civilian purposes" is prefabricated to exonorate mullahs regime of war crimes and crimes against humanity against a strike that is meant to block iran from obtaining nuclear weapon wich would advance Iran Shia imperialism. The Goldstone report was mandated to exonorate Iran's proxy of war crimes and crimes against humanity and to fabricate grave accusations against a strike that was meant to curb the missiles dangers muderously imposed upon southern Israel citizenry .
...and still no, repeat no indication that any LEU has been diverted for any other purpose. Having a solar energy program would reassure no one that Iran had not diverted LEU for a clandestine program: inspections are all you will ever have. And Iran had even agreed to additional protocols that no other nation has been asked until the US and Israel started shouting and waving sticks at them.
Why do you keep trying to tell people that Iran hasn't agreed? They've even suggested several ways to complete the transaction. Don't you want to do this deal? Are you backing away because you didn't expect, didn't want a diplomatic solution? Do the damned deal! You are the President of the United States of America for God's sake. If your handlers are giving you bad advice, get new ones.
Ahmadinejad is again playing coarse games to gain time. He failed to give any answer, except off topic tirades, to Obama's open hand proposal to negociate without preconditions (other than respect for UN past resolutions)or threats. This deliberate failure of Iran to reply was a dilatory measure which Ahmadinejad knew would bring ultimatums, deadlines & threats of sanctions. Now he is using the ploy of the threats as if this was a new obstacle in progressing negociations. He must be hoping that the West will be waisting an other 3 months to come up with a new more palatable proposal. We shall soon see in the response of the West to this pitiful scheme which side is the most foolish.
Israel will save Ahmadinejad from the revolt bursting forth in Iran. Israel will attack and save him. His protestations of Israel being responsible for everything, even his opposition will prevail after the attack. The Supreme Dictator will be most gratified when Netanyahu saves his regime. And those who are under the orders of Netanyahu to control what Israelis are allowed to read are unlikely to allow this post. A matter of state secrets I would guess.
I have a different angle, If Iran truly wants to do the right thing and its end result is to create electricity, then the nuclear power is the NOT what they need, for that region of the world a better solution would be solar power. We simply say that if your true to your word and all you want is a better power source, we will help you with solar technology, we will even give you monies toward achieving a power source through solar all you need to do is send us all the apparatus you currently have to make nukes and then let our inspectors in and have free reign to verify you are not creating a bomb and then we can move ahead with your solar project.
The little primate who has been threatening to wipe out Israel is complaining about threats?
I am sickened with the western political leaders acting like little barbies where they 'wont talk to this leader' or 'avoid saying hi to the other' or choosing the number of guns over gentlemanly manners as means in diplomacy etc. If West is serious about talking. They should not beat about the bush and come out to talk in a fair way... enough of double stds and hypocrisy.
After all these years of "negotiations" Bibi says NO preconditions and then in the next breath want Palestinian ones. I won't even go into this absurd "freeze". .....Israeli rhettoric is the driving force for the new mideast arms race........ but won't even admit having hundreds themselves! Hypocracy rules in Israel and San Diego.......PEACE EVER?
They carry on discussions for a few weeks, then reject the terms.
Put a sock in it maniacs.
Do this or we will attack! Do that or we will attack! Resist and we will attack!....give us an excuse and we will attack....ANY EXCUSE....TICK TICK TICK......PEACE EVER?
What stopped Iran from making a deal up until now? Vocabulary? The Mullahs just don.t want the restive population to hear the real price Iran will pay if tough sanctions are imposed...most likely Iran will build a bomb because it has taken so long to build a consensus...
What a nut case. Change vocabulary? What about his vocabulary? Death to Israel, Death to America, Israel is a cancer....shall I go on? sure why not....Israel should be wiped off the map! This is the vocabulary he uses....what does he expect in return? The nobel peace prize? Gimme a break! His own people dont want him around. Death to Ahmadinejad!!
...yes, Iran refused the deal. In public. From Parliament to their executive. They will refuse it again if the West is silly enough to play Charlie Brown to their Lucy. The nuclear deal football is always snatched away.
Okay, we'll stop with the threats. After STEALING Iraqs oil well #4, its high time for a little shock and awe. Its right around the corner and surely a certainty.