[Mb-civic] Iran Resumes Uranium Work, Ignores Warning - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

Iran Resumes Uranium Work, Ignores Warning

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 9, 2005; Page A10

Iran resumed uranium work at a key nuclear facility yesterday, ignoring 
warnings from Washington and European capitals that such a move could 
land the issue of Tehran's nuclear efforts in the U.N. Security Council, 
which has the authority to impose economic sanctions or an oil embargo.

In a strongly worded letter to the governments of Britain, France and 
Germany, Iranian officials also formally rejected a European offer that 
held out promises of better relations with the West in exchange for 
Iran's decision to dismantle much of its nuclear program.

The letter and the decision to restart a uranium conversion facility in 
the town of Isfahan came ahead of an emergency meeting of the 35-member 
board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today in Vienna 
to discuss Iran's program. It also threw into turmoil more than two 
years of negotiations between Tehran and the three European countries 
aimed at resolving suspicions about Iran's nuclear energy program, which 
includes technologies that could be diverted to atomic weapons work.

<>The Europeans have said the negotiations would be terminated if Iran 
resumed any part of its nuclear program that had been on hold. Diplomats 
met in Vienna yesterday to draft a resolution urging Iran to shut down 
the conversion facility and return to talks with the Europeans.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/08/AR2005080800342.html 

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