Talks between European powers and Iran are deadlocked on the key issue of uranium enrichment, with Iran refusing to consider scrapping such programs even while acknowledging they make no economic sense, according to a confidential document obtained by the AP.
The summary of the last meeting between representatives of France, the UK, Germany and Iran states that Tehran intends to maintain its enrichment program, whereas the European powers continue to insist on its "cessation" or "dismantlement."
The US and several other countries fear Iran is seeking to enrich uranium not to the low level needed to generate power, but to weapons-grade uranium that forms the core of nuclear warheads.
Iran publicly insists it only seeks to make low-grade enriched uranium to make nuclear fuel, but the summary of the last meeting on Jan. 17 in Geneva appears to blur that assertion. It says that Iran privately acknowledged what Washington and its allies have argued all along -- that as an oil rich country it does not need nuclear energy.
"Iran recognizes explicitly that its fuel cycle program cannot be justified on economic grounds," says the document, obtained on Tuesday by the AP.
Meant for restricted circulation among diplomats and government officials, the summary reflects the second round of discussions since Iran agreed to freeze all enrichment and related activities late last year while it negotiates with the Europeans on technical, economic and political support meant to reduce its international isolation.
Tehran insists the suspension is temporary and binding only until the talks end, either with or without an agreement. That in itself puts Iran at odds with the three European nations, whose main focus is turning the suspension into an Iranian commitment to scrap all plans to enrich uranium.
Diplomats familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that the atmosphere between the two sides had improved during the Jan. 17 second round.
But they said no progress is being made on the Europeans' insistence that the temporary suspension be turned into a pledge to permanently mothball all enrichment plans and activities.
"The two positions cannot coexist," said one of the diplomats, from a West European nation.
"If the impasse cannot be resolved, then there will be no solution," clearing the path for Iran to resume activities that will allow it to enrich uranium, he said.
Another diplomat agreed there was no progress on the core issue, but expressed hope common ground could be found in future rounds.
A separate confidential memorandum summarizing talks parallel to nuclear issues but focusing on political and security themes described the atmosphere of those talks as "more conducive and productive" than the initial round on Dec. 21.
It said the Europeans were resistant to Iranian insistence they be supplied with high-tech equipment to combat terrorism,
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher had no comment on the developments in Davos.
"We hope the Iranians agree to take the steps that the EU is looking for and to take the steps that would be required to satisfy the international community of Iran's intentions," he said.
Iran suspended uranium enrichment and all related activities in November, derailing US attempts to have it reported to the UN Security Council for alleged violations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The International Atomic Energy Agency, (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, is policing the freeze.
Reflecting its continued view that it has a right to resume its enrichment programs in the near future, Iran recently said it would decide within three months whether to continue the suspension.
Concerns about Iran grew after revelations in mid-2002 of two secret nuclear facilities -- a uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and a heavy water production plant near Arak. That led to a subsequent IAEA investigation of what turned out to be nearly two decades of covert nuclear activities, including suspicious "dual use" experiments that can be linked to weapons programs.
Iran is not prohibited from running enrichment programs under the Nonproliferation Treaty, but agreed to freeze to generate international good will. The summary of Jan. 17 meeting said Iranian officials used "biased and selective quotes" from the treaty in arguing their country had the right to enrich.
A US YouTuber who caused outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves has been sentenced to six months in prison, a court in Seoul said yesterday. Johnny Somali, 25, gained notoriety several years ago for recording himself doing a series of provocative stunts in South Korea and Japan, and streaming them on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. South Korean authorities indicted Somali — whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael — in 2024 on public order violations and obstruction of business, and banned him from leaving the country. “The court has sentenced him to six months in
Former Lima mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a Peruvian presidential hopeful, gathered hundreds of supporters in Lima on Tuesday and gave authorities 24 hours to annul the first round of the country’s election over allegations of fraud. Lopez Aliaga is locked in a tight three-way race with two other candidates for second place in Sunday’s vote. The election runner-up wins a ticket to June’s presidential run-off against front-runner Keiko Fujimori. “I am giving them 24 hours to declare this electoral fraud null and void,” said Lopez Aliaga, surrounded by a crowd of several hundred supporters. “If it is not declared null and void tomorrow,
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
RSS