Global Security Newswire

Western powers yesterday urged Iran to officially communicate its readiness to ship much of its low-enriched uranium to other countries for further refinement, a key element of an International Atomic Energy Agency plan aimed at easing U.S. and European concerns that Tehran might try to build a nuclear weapon, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Feb. 3).

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday expressed openness to a bulk transfer of his nation's uranium, although Tehran had ruled out the proposal for months. Under the plan, Russia and France would enrich a large portion of Iran's stockpiled uranium for use at a medical research reactor in Tehran, deferring Iran's ability to fuel a bomb long enough to negotiate a longer-term solution to the dispute over its nuclear capabilities.

"The IAEA made a good-faith offer regarding the Tehran research reactor. Iran initially accepted the arrangement, but has not followed through and, in fact, seemed to move toward rejecting it," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"The deal is still on the table," she said. "If Iran wishes to accept it, we look forward to hearing about it from the IAEA, because that's the appropriate venue for them to file an official response."

The governments of Germany and the United Kingdom issued similar messages.

"Iran has to make concrete commitments to the IAEA and a concrete answer in Vienna is the only measure on which it can be assessed," said German government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm (Agence France-Presse I/Hindustan Times, Feb. 4).

Ahmadinejad's stated willingness to accept the uranium transfer "may be an effort to drive a wedge" between U.N. Security Council member nations as they consider additional sanctions against Iran, Daniel Brumberg, acting head of the Muslim World Initiative at the U.S. Institute of Peace, told the Christian Science Monitor. "The Iranian regime is always playing for time, so doing that by disrupting any developing (international) consensus would be par for the course for them," he said.

Ahmadinejad's overture could also be an attempt to bolster the Iranian government's perceived legitimacy in response to growing domestic opposition, Brumberg suggested. "They may be saying, 'You have to talk to us' to the Security Council members, but their target audience for this show of authority may be at home," he said (Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 3).

Iran yesterday indicated it is discussing a possible uranium exchange deal with countries including France, Brazil and one country in Asia, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"The talks are currently under way and we will announce the final agreements," said Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Ali Akbar Salehi (Xinhua News Agency, Feb. 3).

Brazil yesterday denied that any such talks had taken place, the Wall Street Journal reported (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 3).

Meanwhile, the United States has begun floating proposals for additional economic penalties to target Iran, the BBC reported today.

A document in circulation suggests measures targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guard as wells as new travel and asset restrictions on entities linked to Iran's nuclear work, said a Western diplomat at the United Nations.

"It's very early days in terms of substantive talks among the" five permanent Security Council member nations and Germany on additional Iran sanctions, the Western diplomat said.

"It's not a detailed text, it's just the beginnings of looking at what categories and measures might be pursued," the official added (BBC News, Feb. 4).

Other targets of U.N. sanctions -- which backers hope to see passed by late next month -- could include Iran's central bank, shipping companies, energy industry and conventional weapons imports, Reuters reported (Reuters I, Feb. 3).

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said his nation would seek "strong sanctions" against Iran at the United Nations, Reuters reported.

"The Iranian government has not wanted to accept our offer of dialogue. It has instead rushed forward headlong. So the moment has come to act," Fillon said.

"It's not too late to use the political process to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear military capacity, but I acknowledge that time is pressing," he said. "We are going to seek the adoption of a new resolution at the United Nations incorporating strong sanctions and the European Union must also accept its responsibilities" (Reuters II/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Feb. 4).

China, though, called today for additional dialogue with Iran over its nuclear program. Like all other permanent Security Council members, Beijing wields veto authority over the body's decisions.

"To talk about sanctions at the moment will complicate the situation and might stand in the way of finding a diplomatic solution," said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (Sophie Taylor, Reuters III, Feb. 4).

Beijing has yet to confirm it would take part in a telephone discussion on Iran later this week with officials from France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, Reuters reported yesterday (Reuters I).

The international community should convince Tehran that continuing its disputed nuclear activities could place the Iranian government in jeopardy, a high-level Israeli official said yesterday.

"In essence, the Iranian regime must be given the choice: either a bomb or survival," said Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon.

"It is important to continue to make clear to the extremist Iranian regime that all options are still on the table and that ignoring the international demands can end in the worst way," Yaalon said.

He added: "Despite the time that has been wasted on diplomatic efforts and the like ... Iran may still be stopped. The coming period will be decisive for the chances to achieve it" (Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Reuters IV, Feb. 3).

"Iran's plan will probably be stopped by a regime change or, if there is no other choice, by a recourse to force to deprive Iran of its nuclear arms production capabilities," he said, according to Agence France-Presse (Agence France-Presse II/Khaleej Times, Feb. 3).

The head of U.S. Central Command, though, warned that attacking the Middle Eastern nation could unite the Iranian people behind their government.

"It's possible (a strike) could be used to play to nationalist tendencies," Gen. David Petraeus told Reuters. "There is certainly a history, in other countries, of fairly autocratic regimes almost creating incidents that inflame nationalist sentiment. So that could be among the many different, second, third, or even fourth order effects (of a strike)" (Phil Stewart, Reuters V, Feb. 3).

Elsewhere, Australia's defense minister has halted three deliveries to Iran due to concern that they could have advanced Iranian WMD efforts, Australian news organizations reported today.

At least one of the shipments reportedly included pump equipment that could be used in cooling nuclear power facilities, the Australian newspaper reported (Sean Parnell, The Australian, Feb. 4). Neither Defense Minister John Faulkner nor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would disclose the contents of the deliveries, the Australian Associated Press reported (Australian Associated Press I/Sydney Morning Herald, Feb. 4).

"With Iran, we have a very hard-line approach," Rudd said. "They have thumbed their nose effectively at the International Atomic Energy Agency time and time again and at the repeated diplomatic engagement by the Europeans and others."

"Australia has fundamental national interests at stake in terms of Iran's nuclear weapons program," he added (Australian Associated Press II, Feb. 4).

In the Netherlands, a court yesterday struck down a rule issued in 2008 to bar individuals of Iranian heritage from studying nuclear technology, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse III/Dawn, Feb. 3).