West asking Iran to stop 20% work

[longbrained]

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West to ask Iran to stop enriching Uranium to 20% immediately in upcoming talks and in return offer Iran absolutely nothing.


New Iran talks may focus on higher-grade atom work

New Iran talks may focus on higher-grade atom work | Reuters

VIENNA, March 30 (Reuters) - Getting Iran to stop the higher-level uranium enrichment it started two years ago and has since sharply increased will be a priority when world powers re-enter talks with the Islamic Republic in April, Western diplomats and analysts say.

Tehran took a major step towards making potential atom bomb material after a previous attempt at diplomacy failed, spurning U.N. demands to halt all enrichment and, instead, ramping up uranium processing to 20 percent purity - goading the West to impose crushing sanctions on its banks and oil exports.

That work may provide an initial focus of new talks, expected to get under way in mid-April and seen as a chance to avert the threat of Israeli air strikes on Iran's nuclear sites that could spark a Middle East war.

"We have the impression that the White House is interested in a realistic strategy - focusing on halting 20 percent enrichment of uranium as a first-step confidence-building measure," said Greg Thielmann of the Arms Control Association, a Washington-based research and advocacy group.

Iran says it has a sovereign right to peaceful nuclear technology and has repeatedly rejected U.N. resolutions calling for a suspension of all uranium enrichment.

But it has at times appeared more flexible when it comes to the refinement of uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent that it began in early 2010 - much higher than the 3.5 percent it had been processing to previously.

Experts say that initially getting Iran to stop this higher-grade work could open a way to ease the deadlock.

A U.S. think tank, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), said capping Iranian enrichment at 5 percent could form part of an interim deal that would give time for more substantial negotiations.

This and other priority measures would "limit Iran's capability to break out quickly," it said in a report.

MOUNTAIN BUNKER

The United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany are the six powers involved in diplomacy aimed at resolving the long-running row over Iran's atomic plans.

Diplomats and analysts say the first meeting could be the start of a "sustained" dialogue although they do not expect a quick breakthrough after a gap of more than a year since the last round of talks ended without progress.

"I would regard an outcome of the first session in April that results in a continuing process of talks to be positive, even if there is no meeting of the minds on substance at that point," said Thielmann.

Persuading Iran to cease higher-grade enrichment, the pace of which it has trebled since late last year, may be a crucial point in the talks tentatively set to start on April 13, probably in Istanbul.

Earlier this month, Russia and China joined the four Western powers in expressing "regret" over Iran's expansion of higher-grade enrichment, most of which is now taking place deep inside a mountain to better protect it against Israeli or U.S. attacks.

That activity - which compares with the 3.5 percent level usually required to fuel nuclear power plants - would "indeed be a priority," one Western envoy said.

Other diplomats stressed that an initial focus on 20 percent enrichment should not be seen as "legitimising" lower-level work as the U.N. Security Council has demanded a full suspension. France, in particular, is believed to be concerned about this.

"These are obligations stemming from Security Council resolutions ... you can't pick and choose," one European official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Nuclear bombs require uranium enriched to 90 percent, but much of the effort required to get there is already achieved once it reaches 20 percent concentration, shortening the time needed for any nuclear weapons "break-out".

Iran denies Western accusations of a nuclear weapons agenda.

TOUGHER INSPECTIONS

In September, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran would stop refining uranium to 20 percent if it is guaranteed fuel for a medical research reactor in Tehran - that needs higher grade uranium than that required for power generation - seeking to revive a fuel swap deal that fell apart in 2009.

But that offer may be overtaken by events, as Iran has since made some progress in making its own fuel, said proliferation expert Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think tank.

"Persuading Iran to part with its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium would be even more difficult," he said.

Western officials believe Iran has not yet decided whether it will "weaponise" enrichment, but rather is seeking the industrial and scientific capacity to do so if needed for military and security contingencies.

It has steadily increased uranium enrichment and now has enough 3.5 and 20 percent material for some four bombs if refined further, Western experts say.

Many analysts believe it may be unrealistic to demand that Iran suspend all enrichment as its leaders have invested so much national and personal prestige in the project.

In return for allowing limited, low-level enrichment, those analysts argue, Iran would need to accept much more intrusive U.N. inspections to make sure there is no military diversion.

Inspections and monitoring of Iran's nuclear programme should be expanded significantly, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"This would be a far more important goal of successful negotiations with Iran than to persist in our insistence that Iran suspend or freeze enrichment," Thomas Pickering added, according to a copy of his March 28 address.

[somebozo]

With the west attitude Iran is more and more compelled to enrich uranium now because its national security and livelihood is at risk due to sanctions.

[IranZamin]

With the west attitude Iran is more and more compelled to enrich uranium now because its national security and livelihood is at risk due to sanctions.

and yet you are critical of Irans decisions somehow

[Harry_Thomason]

As expected, these "negotiations" will go nowhere if unreasonable demands continue. Its ironic how common sense approach step-by-step doesnt interest West either.

[PERSIAN GOD KING]

With the west attitude Iran is more and more compelled to enrich uranium now because its national security and livelihood is at risk due to sanctions.

This guy is really weird, one minute he says nice comment next minute he is hating.
guys please don't rust this MAR.

[IranZamin]

This guy is really weird, one minute he says nice comment next minute he is hating.
guys please don't rust this MAR.

Thats why i asked him why he is critical about Irans nuclear stance

[PERSIAN GOD KING]

and yet you are critical of Irans decisions somehow

Don't trust this mar brother, he is a zionists agent.

[IranZamin]

Don't trust this mar brother, he is a zionists agent.

i know...

[PERSIAN GOD KING]

this is Iran reaction to this request.

[longbrained]

Without complete removal of all sanctions and restrictions on Iran, the leaders of Iran should not accept anything otherwise they will be traitors. And even then Iran should never accept to halt any atomic work at all.

[IranZamin]

Without complete removal of all sanctions and restrictions on Iran, the leaders of Iran should not accept anything otherwise they will be traitors. And even then Iran should never accept to halt any atomic work at all.

It is not right to brand the negotiating team as ''traitors'' because if we want to put an end to all these tensions and threats of war we should compromise, and most important thing we must get 100% guarantees. This is vital for Iran

[longbrained]

It is not right to brand the negotiating team as ''traitors'' because if we want to put an end to all these tensions and threats of war we should compromise, and most important thing we must get 100% guarantees. This is vital for Iran

Dude, there is not guarantee. Just look at their record. In 1975 Iran paid 3 billion dollars to Germany to build two nuclear reactors each with a capacity of 1290 MW at Bushehr nuclear plant. They never returned the money and never completed the reactors. In 1977 Iran paid France 2 billion dollars to build two 950 MW reactors at Darkhovin nuclear power plant. They never built the plant and never returned the money. The Iranian reactors built for Darkhovin power stations were later put in use in Graveline Nuclear Power Plant in France and those Iranian paid reactors are working there for French.

Iran had paid billions to a French consortium to build a nuclear reprocessing plant in Iran. It was never built and the money never returned. Iran had also paid several billion dollars for construction of Eurodif enrichment plant in France as well as for shares in the world's second largest Uranium mine in Namibia. Iran did not get back its money or even a gram of Uranium. Just look at the track record. If you fall for their guarantees then no body can save you.

[IranZamin]

Dude, there is not guarantee. Just look at their record. In 1975 Iran paid 3 billion dollars to Germany to build two nuclear reactors each with a capacity of 1290 MW at Bushehr nuclear plant. They never returned the money and never completed the reactors. In 1977 Iran paid France 2 billion dollars to build two 950 MW reactors at Darkhovin nuclear power plant. They never built the plant and never returned the money. The Iranian reactors built for Darkhovin power stations were later put in use in Graveline Nuclear Power Plant in France and those Iranian paid reactors are working there for French.

Iran had paid billions to a French consortium to build a nuclear reprocessing plant in Iran. It was never built and the money never returned. Iran had also paid several billion dollars for construction of Eurodif enrichment plant in France as well as for shares in the world's second largest Uranium mine in Namibia. Iran did not get back its money or even a gram of Uranium. Just look at the track record. If you fall for their guarantees then no body can save you.

Brother, are you thinking that in 2 weeks time Iran will immediately put a halt on all its nuclear activities ? we are talking about a step by step approach.

[longbrained]

Brother, are you thinking that in 2 weeks time Iran will immediately put a halt on all its nuclear activities ? we are talking about a step by step approach.

No, I do not think so. But these are devious people. That is why I think Iranian public should remain on high alert and follow these talks to make sure that negotiations end in their benefit not in their loss. It is pertinent for the public of Iran to keep its pressure high on the Iranian negotiators so that they do not sell out themselves as during Khatami's time when the negotiators of Iran had sold themselves out and stopped all of Iran's nuclear work just to please the Europeans. Do you remember that time, when Iran had agreed to complete freeze of its enrichment and to the Additional Protocol of inspection and in return got nothing at all?

[IranZamin]

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No, I do not think so. But these are devious people. That is why I think Iranian public should remain on high alert and follow these talks to make sure that negotiations end in their benefit not in their loss. It is pertinent for the public of Iran to keep its pressure high on the Iranian negotiators so that they do not sell out themselves as during Khatami's time when the negotiators of Iran had sold themselves out and stopped all of Iran's nuclear work just to please the Europeans. Do you remember that time, when Iran had agreed to complete freeze of its enrichment and to the Additional Protocol of inspection and in return got nothing at all?

2003 decision to put an halt to the nuclear work was advised/ordered by Ayatollah Khamenei to Khatami. The decision to continue the nuclear work or not is in the hands of Khamenei and the initiatives lies with the negotiating team. But Iran will come out victorious out of these negotiations