The problem is, Iran's position is legitimate
There are no treaties forbidding nuclear research. And I don't think there's a line of research that will NOT lead to knowledge sufficient to make weapons grade fissionable material.
Iran Says It Won't Halt Nuclear Technology Drive
Sun Sep 12, 2004 09:08 AM ET
By Amir Paivar
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran Sunday rejected European demands it abandon sensitive nuclear activities but reiterated its readiness to provide assurances that its atomic ambitions are entirely peaceful.
Western diplomats say Britain, France and Germany have demanded Iran halt all parts of the atomic fuel cycle, particularly uranium enrichment, that can be used to make bombs.
The European Union trio have proposed a draft resolution for a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) starting in Vienna Monday which gives Iran until November to dispel doubts about its nuclear program.
Asked about the EU trio's stance, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi reiterated that Iran had no intention of abandoning its efforts to master the nuclear fuel cycle.
"If the Europeans and the international community want assurances that nuclear technology will be for peaceful purposes, we are ready to give assurances," Asefi told a weekly news conference.
"But if the issue is that we cannot master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, that is out of the question because we have already reached that point," he said.
The trio's draft does not order Tehran to be automatically reported to the U.N. Security Council if it does not meet the deadline, as Washington wishes.
