Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jul. 31 In a letter to outgoing Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, the secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and Irans chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani said that Europe completely supported Iran in its production of nuclear energy. Iran Focus
Tehran, Iran, Jul. 31 In a letter to outgoing Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, the secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and Irans chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani said that Europe completely supported Iran in its production of nuclear energy.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has never been willing to accept forced deprivation in regards to its peaceful nuclear activities by the West, Rowhani said.
Rowhani said that the European trio of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom had agreed to provide Iran with nuclear fuel and even help Iran with building nuclear facilities.
Europe has also promised Iran security reassurances including guarantees about the integrity, independence, and the national sovereignty [of Iran”>, as well as non-aggression towards Iran, if Tehran agrees to permanently halt uranium enrichment.
They have also agreed to increase their political and security relations with Iran. Irans state-run news agency reported that Europe had promised to cooperate with Tehran in cracking down on the main Iranian opposition group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK).
The EU-3 also agreed that Europe would look to Iran as its main partner for obtaining fuel and would make further efforts to build a bilateral trade relationship. Iran would also be supported in its quest to join the World Trade Organisation.
Also on Sunday, Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said that Iran would in no way accept full suspension of uranium enrichment, adding “It is now the turn of Europe to fulfil its promises”.
One of the hard-line camps influential Majlis deputies, Ahmad Tavakoli, speaking to reporters said on Saturday that Iran had to immediately start uranium enrichment, adding that any government who gave in to the Wests demands for Iran to refute nuclear enrichment would guarantee its own downfall.
Tavakoli, who heads the Majlis Research Centre, said, Irans best response to the Europeans is practical steps to continue uranium enrichment, adding, Everything is about enrichment.
Separately, in an interview with the government-owned website Baztab, the British Ambassador to Tehran, Richard Dalton, said that Iran was making abnormal requests to bring forward the deadline for the EU-3 to introduce their final set of proposals.
We told Mr. Rowhani a month ago that that we would hand over our proposals in the end of July or early August. Therefore, the fervour created in the press about the rejection of an extension for several days of the proposals to be handed over are abnormal. Europe, will announce its proposals in the legal time by next week, Dalton said.
Daltons comments came as the British Foreign Office issued a statement on Sunday warning that Irans threat to resume nuclear activities in Isfahan would be an “unnecessary and damaging step” which could jeopardise key European Union nuclear talks with Tehran.
In a press conference on Sunday, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi demanded that the EU-3 hand over their proposals by August 1, rejecting Europes August 7 deadline.
He also said that Iran was handing a letter to Mohamed ElBaradei, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, informing the organisation that Iran would be lifting the seals at its nuclear site in Isfahan, central Iran.
