Thaindian News

Vienna/Tehran, Sep 9 (DPA) Iran Wednesday faced stark accusations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the US of developing nuclear weapons as it delivered a new package of proposals to the six countries involved in nuclear talks with the Islamic state.
Iran’s package was issued in Tehran shortly before IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said in Vienna there was a “high probability” that Iran worked to develop nuclear weapons in the past, if intelligence information in that regard is genuine.

Also speaking at a meeting of the IAEA’s governing board, US envoy Glyn Davies said Tehran may have enough enriched uranium for one atomic bomb, a view voiced previously by experts.

ElBaradei was referring to documents received by his organisation that points to a number of suspicious Iranian studies, including the modification of the model of a missile to carry a nuclear warhead.

“I am not a scientist, but I can tell you this: If this information is real, there is a high probability that nuclear weaponisation activities have taken place,” he said. “But I should underline ‘if’ three times.”

ElBaradei urged Iran to finally clarify these issues, a call echoed by Britain, France, Germany and the US.

In Vienna, US ambassador Glyn Davies said Iran now has enough material for one bomb, should it decide to further process its uranium.

He said Washington had serious concerns that Tehran’s leaders at least want the option to develop such weapons, a scenario he called a “dangerous and destabilising possible breakout capacity”.

In Tehran, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki handed his proposals to the diplomatic envoys of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Switzerland - the latter representing the diplomatic interests of the US in Tehran.

Iran’s package on tackling global challenges addresses security issues, economic cooperation, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and energy issues including nuclear energy, Iran’s envoy at the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told reporters in Vienna.

However, the proposal is not expected to address the main Western demand that Iran suspend its controversial uranium enrichment, and is therefore unlikely to lead to any breakthrough in the nuclear dispute.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has several times in the last three months stressed that Iran would hold nuclear talks only with IAEA.

The last meeting between Iran and the so-called 5+1 group was held in July 2008 in Geneva with the participation of US Under Secretary of State William Burns.

Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran would defend its internationally acknowledged legitimate rights to the end and not make any compromise with world powers over its nuclear programmes.

“Resistance is the secret of the (1979) Islamic revolution and with increased popular support, we will enter the international scene with more decisiveness than before,” the president said.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili insisted that Iran would go on with its nuclear programmes regardless of what world powers say.

“We will not wait for others to give us permission to pursue our path of progress,” Jalili said referring to Western demands to suspend the atomic work. “The era in which a few countries imposed their standpoints on others is over,” he added.