Iran said on Tuesday it had invited the EU and some other world powers — but apparently not chief critic the US — to tour nuclear sites before the next round of international talks late this month on its disputed nuclear program.
The Associated Press reported the invitation to tour the facilities on Monday, citing a letter from a senior Iranian envoy that suggested Jan. 15 to Jan. 16 for the visit. A diplomat familiar with the letter said Iran invited Russia, China, Egypt, the group of nonaligned nations at the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Cuba, Arab League members at the IAEA and Hungary, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
Iran’s economy appears to be struggling under the weight of four rounds of international sanctions over its nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at producing weapons though Tehran denies that. Iran returned last month to nuclear talks with the so-called 5+1 countries — the US, Britain, France, Russia and China, plus Germany — which hold sway over the sanctions. And the invitation to visit nuclear sites may also be a sign that Tehran is looking for ways to ease its financial pain.
The US State Department mocked Iran’s offer, calling it a “magical mystery tour.” Spokesman P.J. Crowley said the offer was no substitute for Iran fully cooperating with the UN nuclear watchdog to prove that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes and not to build a bomb.
Asked by reporters how the US felt about being excluded from Iran’s invitation, Crowley responded sarcastically by saying: “We’re just crushed.”
While he did not urge others to decline the invitation, he did say there is no reason for any country to attend.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast confirmed the invitation on Tuesday, saying it went to “the EU, the nonaligned movement and representatives from 5+1 countries.”
He said Iran would name the countries later and added that the invitation was a sign of Iran’s “good will” and greater transparency about its nuclear program.
Mehmanparast did not give a firm date, but said the tour would take place before this month’s round of nuclear talks.
An Iranian official speaking from a European capital said facilities to be visited include the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and the Arak site where Tehran is building a plutonium-producing heavy water reactor.
Both facilities are considered suspect by the West because they could be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads; Tehran’s refusal to shut them down has triggered UN Security Council sanctions.
The new round of negotiations is meant to explore whether there is common ground for more substantive talks on Iran’s nuclear program. A round of talks in Geneva last month yielded no breakthrough.
A diplomat familiar with the invitation said the US and some other Western powers in the group were not invited in an apparent attempt to split the six powers ahead of the next round of planned nuclear talks.
China, and to a lesser degree Russia, have acted to dilute harsh sanctions proposed by the US and its Western allies on the Security Council, leading to compromise penalties enacted by the council that are milder than the West had originally hoped.
On Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) acknowledged that Beijing has received an invitation and hopes the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program would be resolved through dialogue.
Hungary’s foreign ministry also confirmed receiving the Iranian letter and said it was discussing the offer with other EU member nations and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
France has not received any invitation to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities, French foreign ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages said.
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