Senior Iranian casts doubt on nuclear commitment
A senior Iranian official appeared to cast doubt today on Tehran’s latest commitment to a total suspension of nuclear activities capable of producing weapons-grade uranium, saying some centrifuges will continue operating.
Hossein Mousavian’s comments on Iranian television came just hours before the UN atomic watchdog agency’s board was expected to approve a resolution aimed at ending a dispute that had threatened to go to the Security Council.
Diplomats, from the EU and elsewhere, said the commitment – sent by letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna yesterday – fulfilled demands that Tehran include centrifuges in its total suspension of uranium-enrichment programme.
But Mousavian, the chief Iranian delegate to the meeting, suggested otherwise, telling IRIN television: “The centrifuge systems would not stop and will continue to work under the full supervision of the IAEA.”
Delegates and other diplomats with nuclear expertise suggested the comments were meant to ease fears among Iranian hard-liners that Tehran gave up too much in exchange for a softly-worded resolution. They said they still believed Iran would not run any centrifuges during the suspension.
In Tehran, government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh also appeared to endorse the deal, saying Iran had agreed not to test any centrifuges “for now.”
