Iran May Get Reprieve on Nuke Issue

Michael Adler, Agence France Presse:

The United States and the European Union will hold off taking Iran before the UN Security Council over its nuclear program until they get the Russian backing and may even allow Tehran to do some nuclear fuel work, diplomats told AFP.

"If the Russians don't come around, there could not be referral in November," a European diplomat said, referring to a November 24 meeting of the Vienna-based UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which could send Iran to the Security Council.

“The next month is all about Russia handling," a Western diplomat said about efforts to win Moscow's support.

The United States and EU negotiators Britain, France and Germany fear Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons and want it brought before the Security Council, which has the power to impose penalties such as trade sanctions.

But Russia, which has a lucrative contract to build Iran's first nuclear power reactor, has a veto on the Security Council.

The IAEA's 35-nation board of governors in September found Iran in non-compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, paving the way for the matter to be referred to the Security Council if Iran does not halt nuclear fuel work and cooperate fully with an IAEA investigation.

Diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Russia reiterated its support Monday for Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is a peaceful effort to generate electricity, and said all questions about it should be handled by the IAEA.

"This way we can find a decision acceptable by all sides that, on the one hand, allows Iran its lawful right to a peaceful nuclear energy program and, on the other hand, does not allow any doubts about the peaceful character of this activity," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki.

Earlier this month, Lavrov and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice openly aired their differences over the issue.

The Russian minister defended Tehran's "right" to nuclear energy, while Rice retorted that Iran also had "obligations" under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Diplomats said a compromise might be for Iran to be allowed to do preliminary nuclear fuel work, something the EU has so far refused.

Under such a deal, Iran would be allowed to convert uranium ore into the gas that is the feedstock for making enriched uranium but not to take the next step and enrich uranium. Enriched uranium is fuel for civilian nuclear power reactors but can also be the raw material for atom bombs.

Iran-EU talks broke down in August when Tehran slammed the door on an offer of incentives in exchange for a cessation of fuel work, namely uranium conversion it had resumed that month.

"A compromise would involve Iran keeping some conversion capability eventually," the Western diplomat said. But the diplomat said Iran would still have to halt this work in order for talks with the EU-3 to resume and would not be allowed to do actual enrichment.

Iran has refused to halt conversion work. The diplomat said Tehran had also rejected a compromise proposal for South Africa to hold for safekeeping uranium gas converted by Iran.

"The idea is to sweeten the EU-3 offer as Russia is trying to do everything to keep some conversion for Iran," the diplomat said.

The diplomat said the West wanted diplomacy with Iran to effectively "be an EU3-Russia-US effort from now on."

"But if Iran resumes uranium enrichment, Russia will not stop them going to the Council," the diplomat said. READ MORE

US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said in Paris on October 19 that "Russia has to be part of the solution to this problem. And I think Russia will be. We haven't come to the end of our talks with Russia and other countries on this."

Rice has said that Iran must eventually face the Security Council but that there is no deadline for November.