Iran Says It Will Not Abandon Uranium Enrichment

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday, November 15, that Iran would not give up what it describes as its right to enrich uranium. He invoked Iran’s membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in defending that position. At his weekly press conference, Baghaei also rejected a suspension of enrichment or a reduction in its level for now. “We rule out suspending uranium enrichment or lowering its levels at this stage,” he said. He accused some International Atomic Energy Agency directors and the United States of bias in their handling of Iran’s nuclear program. France, Germany, Britain and the United States defended the agency’s professional independence in a joint statement on September 10. They said Iran had withheld information about the safeguards status of declared nuclear facilities and material during that reporting period and had prevented inspections. The four governments called for Iranian cooperation with the agency. Their September statement singled out Iran’s fourth declared enrichment plant, in Isfahan. They said the agency had received neither its precise location nor access and design information. The governments also said reinstated United Nations Security Council resolutions required Iran to suspend enrichment, reprocessing and heavy-water activities under IAEA verification. They stressed that Iran’s safeguards obligations remained binding and could not be suspended.