It feels like the last couple of days, each morning bought a new story about the Iranian nuclear program. Is Iran cooperating or not? How did their meeting with the IAEA go? What are the Iranian leaders saying about the ElBradei deal? How is the United States responding to Iran’s equivocation?
Here is a quick recap of Iranian nuclear program saga starting from October 26, 2009:
October 26, 2009, Monday:
Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency inspected the newly discovered Iranian uranium enrichment site near Qom on Sunday. Iran’s Mehr news agency said the UN team is expected to make “several visits” to the plant during their three-day stay.
But the big headline was that Iranian leaders failed to respond in time to meet the deadline for the deal on Friday. Iranian disquiet stems from their fear that the United States is cheating it out of nuclear fuel. Though Iran is not the only country with concerns. As the New York Times reported the U.S. administration is worried that Iran is trying to prolong the administration’s offer of engagement to buy time for a secret nuclear weapons program.
October 27, 2009, Tuesday:
Iranian nuclear program received a boost when the Turkish Prime Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, stated that Iran’s nuclear program “is an energy project with peaceful, humanitarian purposes.” Al Jazeera reported that Erdogan, who arrived in Tehran for bilateral talks on Tuesday, accused Western nations of hypocrisy in criticizing Iran’s uranium enrichment program while remaining silent on Israel, which is believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal.
October 28, 2009, Wednesday:
Wednesday bought some good news from the Obama administration’s point-of-view. Reports emerged that Iran’s foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, has stated that Iran could endorse a United Nations deal for it to send uranium abroad for processing for peaceful uses, the first official indication that Tehran could respond positively to the agreement. The Reuters quoted Mottaki as saying “In order to obtain this fuel, we might spend money as in the past or we might present part of the fuel that we have right now, and currently do not need, for further processing.” He said Iran would announce its decision “in the next few days.”
October 29, 2009, Thursday:
Thursday bought some mixed news for President Obama. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced his intention to cooperate with world powers on its nuclear program: “We welcome cooperation on nuclear fuel, power plants and technology and we are ready to cooperate.”
But he did vow that the Iranian government will not retreat retreat “one iota” from Iran’s nuclear rights. He also expressed concerns about the deal: “Iran needs to receive guarantees that the nuclear fuel for Tehran’s research reactor will in fact be supplied. Iran as the buyer of the nuclear fuel should determine how much fuel it requires to purchase.”
Meanwhile, international inspectors visiting Iran’s nuclear facility near the city of Qom returned to Vienna today.
October 30, 2009, Friday:
By Friday though the debate about Iranian Nuclear Program headed back to stalemate. Iran announced that they are rejecting a key element of the draft atom deal. United Iranian Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh presented a case for Iran to ship itsuranium out in batches and swap it for new material continuously, rather than shipping it in one batch by the end of the year, as proposed by Obama administration. This suggestion will be rejected by the United States and its allies as the new plan will not significantly reduce Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
The United States and its allies are urging Iran to adopt the ElBaradei’s plan, under which Iran would transfer about 75 percent of its known 1.5 tons of LEU in one shipment to Russia by the end of this year for further enrichment. The material would then go to France to be converted into fuel plates. These would be returned to Tehran to power the U.S.-built reactor, which produces radio-isotopes for cancer treatment.
Iran has also refused to commit to another meeting to discuss its nuclear program
October 31, 2009, Saturday:
On Saturday, Iranian rhetoric was again impugning the nuclear deal. The Reuters reported that senior Iranian lawmakers have voiced opposition to a U.N.-drafted nuclear fuel deal- casting further doubt on a proposal aimed at easing international tension over Tehran’s atomic activities.
“We are completely opposed to the proposal on delivering uranium with 3.5 percent enrichment in exchange for uranium with 20 percent enrichment. There is no guarantee they would give us fuel with 20 percent enrichment in exchange for our delivered LEU,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee.
November 1, 2009, Sunday:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reminded Iran that the United States and its allies had limited patience: “We are willing to work toward creative outcomes, like shipping out the low-enriched uranium to be reprocessed outside of Iran, but we are not going to wait forever. Patience does have finally its limits and it is time for Iran to fulfill its obligations and responsibilities to the international community and accepting this deal would be a good beginning.”
November 2, 2009, Monday:
By Monday, Iran was once again sending positive signals. Iranian officials stated that it has not rejected a U.N.-backed plan aimed at limiting the country’s ability to make nuclear weapons. Earlier last week, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had said his government will persist with its nuclear program despite international concerns. Asked if this meant Tehran has rejected the deal, Iranian foreign minister Mottaki simply said, “No.”
However, Iranian officials did ask for a technical review of the plan designed to restrain its potential for making a nuclear bomb.
November 3, 2009, Tuesday:
On Tuesday, headlines were once again dominated by Hillary Clinton. She urged the Iranian leadership to fully accept the deal which had already been agreed to in principle, saying “we are not altering it”. Al Jazeera quoted Clinton as saying “This is a pivotal moment for Iran. Acceptance fully of this proposal … would be a good indication that Iran does not wish to be isolated and does wish to co-operate with the international community.”
And the saga continues….
