Iran’s FM mocks EU threat of Security Council action

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan.18 – Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki mocked on Wednesday European threats to refer the Islamic Republic to the United Nations Security Council over its suspected nuclear weapons program, claiming that there was only a “weak” risk factor of the case ending up at the top international security body. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Jan.18 – Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki mocked on Wednesday European threats to refer the Islamic Republic to the United Nations Security Council over its suspected nuclear weapons program, claiming that there was only a “weak” risk factor of the case ending up at the top international security body.

Mottaki also warned the EU to beware of making hasty decisions on the issue, the official state news agency reported.

“Considering the current circumstances, we believe the chances of Iran’s nuclear file being referred to the Security Council are weak”, the Iranian Foreign Minister told reporters at Iran’s Majlis (Parliament) in Tehran.

The European trio of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are lobbying the 35 member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors to refer Tehran’s nuclear file to the UN Security Council at the upcoming February 2-3 emergency session after Iran breached an agreement between them in which it had promised not to resume nuclear activities at its uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.

IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei has called on Iran to suspend the activities, but Tehran has officially rejected such an action.

“Resumption of certain nuclear research is a different issue from nuclear fuel production”, Mottaki said, as he maintained that Tehran’s actions had been legal.

“Over the past 10 days we strived to clarify this important issue in talks with European negotiators, either by exchanging messages or holding negotiations with other members of the IAEA board of governors including China, Russia, and Non-Aligned Movement members”, Mottaki said.

The Foreign Minister went on to say that he hoped that the EU states would “understand this message and the clear and transparent positions of the Islamic Republic and not make hasty and false decisions as claimed by other countries as well as impose difficult conditions”.