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.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is to visit Russia next month for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said on Thursday, a move that comes as Moscow and Beijing seek to counter the West’s global influence. Xi’s visit to Russia would be his second since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but it has backed the Kremlin’s contentions that Russia’s action was provoked by the West, and it continues to supply key components needed by Moscow for
Japan scrambled fighter jets after Russian aircraft flew around the archipelago for the first time in five years, Tokyo said yesterday. From Thursday morning to afternoon, the Russian Tu-142 aircraft flew from the sea between Japan and South Korea toward the southern Okinawa region, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said in a statement. They then traveled north over the Pacific Ocean and finished their journey off the northern island of Hokkaido, it added. The planes did not enter Japanese airspace, but flew over an area subject to a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia, a ministry official said. “In response, we mobilized Air Self-Defense
CRITICISM: ‘One has to choose the lesser of two evils,’ Pope Francis said, as he criticized Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and Harris’ pro-choice position Pope Francis on Friday accused both former US president Donald Trump and US Vice President Kamala Harris of being “against life” as he returned to Rome from a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. The 87-year-old pontiff’s comments on the US presidential hopefuls came as he defied health concerns to connect with believers from the jungle of Papua New Guinea to the skyscrapers of Singapore. It was Francis’ longest trip in duration and distance since becoming head of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics more than 11 years ago. Despite the marathon visit, he held a long and spirited
China would train thousands of foreign law enforcement officers to see the world order “develop in a more fair, reasonable and efficient direction,” its minister for public security has said. “We will [also] send police consultants to countries in need to conduct training to help them quickly and effectively improve their law enforcement capabilities,” Chinese Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong (王小洪) told an annual global security forum. Wang made the announcement in the eastern city of Lianyungang on Monday in front of law enforcement representatives from 122 countries, regions and international organizations such as Interpol. The forum is part of ongoing