Iran Nuclear Moves Alienate Russia, A Key Ally

Dow Jones Newswires:

Iran's reluctance to act to allay international fears about its nuclear agenda is increasingly alienating Russia, a key ally, diplomats said Thursday. Angering Moscow, in turn, is helping U.S. efforts to force Iran to answer to the U.N. Security Council about its atomic dossier, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

Most recently, Iranian officials told the Russians on Wednesday that they wouldn't resume uranium conversion - only to restart the process a few hours later, diplomats said. READ MORE

The move to restart conversion was expected. Iran served notice several weeks ago that it would process a new batch of raw uranium into a precursor of the gas used to enrich uranium - which can produce either nuclear fuel or the fissile core of weapons.

Still, with Iran under international pressure to show it is willing to reduce concerns it seeks full control of the uranium enrichment process to make weapons, Russia and other countries would have welcomed a decision not to restart conversion.

Iranian officials told Russian counterparts just that on Wednesday, saying a re-launch was postponed for "technical reasons," the diplomats revealed.

The Russians interpreted that as a political signal, raising hopes of an easing of tensions just weeks before Nov. 24, when the 35-nation board of International Atomic Energy Agency meets in Vienna on U.N. Security Council referral.

But just hours later, diplomats said, the Iranian officials told the Russians that conversion had restarted, further eroding Russian good will, which Tehran crucially needs to deflect the U.S. and European push for Security Council involvement.

Both Russia and China are veto-wielding members of the Security Council, and both are opposed to referring Iran to the top U.N. decision-making body. That has dampened U.S. and European enthusiasm for such action. Neither Washington nor the Europeans are interested in having Iran referred - only to have motions for Security Council sanctions vetoed by Moscow and Beijing.

One diplomat said increasing Russian frustration, however, could swing the Russians closer to the U.S.-European position and indirectly put pressure on Beijing to join the mainstream and moderate its opposition to Security Council action.

The Iranian regime says one this and does another.