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Iran, EU nuke talks end without result
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-03 19:30
The Russian plan 錕斤拷 backed by most in the international community including
the U.S. and the Europeans 錕斤拷 is meant to deprive the Iranians of domestic
control of all enrichment, easing fears that Iran might misuse the process for
making nuclear weapons.
Iran restarted some enrichment activities last month, two years after
voluntarily freezing the program during talks with the Europeans that unraveled
late last year.
While the Security Council is waiting for the outcome of next week's board
meeting to decide further action, its involvement reflects the level of concern
surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions. Tehran insists it wants enrichment only to
generate electricity and that it does not seek nuclear arms, but a growing
number of nations share U.S. fears that that is not the case.
U.S. intelligence chief John Negroponte told lawmakers in Washington on
Wednesday that the risk of Iran's acquiring nuclear arms and merging them with
ballistic missile systems was "a reason for immediate concern."
Providing what he called secret details of those missile programs, Iranian
opposition figure Alireza Jafarzadeh told the AP on Thursday that Iran had
"significantly increased the production line" of its Shahab 3 missiles last
year, and was now turning out 90 a year 錕斤拷 more than four times its previous
production rate.
The most advanced Shahab has a range of nearly 1,200 miles, he said. That is
enough to target arch-foe Israel.
There was no independent confirmation of the information, which Jafarzadeh
said he received from sources inside Iran.
Steinmeier urged the Iranians to reconsider its stance before Monday's board
meeting takes a decision "so that we can return to the process of negotiations"
instead of confrontation.
Solana said the nuclear impasse had reached "a very critical moment."
"We have expressed that very clearly to our friends," he
added.
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