IRAN: Britain yesterday called for the UN Security Council to consider action against Iran after it resumed nuclear fuel research, but Iran's president said his country would pursue its course regardless, writes Parisa Hafezi in Tehran
Iran removed UN seals at uranium-enrichment research facilities on Tuesday, and announced it would resume "research and development" on producing uranium fuel, prompting angry reactions from Washington, the EU and Russia.
British prime minister Tony Blair told parliament he aimed to secure international agreement to bring Iran before the Security Council, which could impose punitive measures. "Then... we have to decide what measures to take, and we obviously don't rule out any measures at all."
Mr Blair made no direct reference to military force, but his remarks seemed stronger than those of foreign secretary Jack Straw, who said on Tuesday that military action was not on Britain's agenda and that he believed it was not on anyone else's.
Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful. The UN nuclear watchdog has found no proof to the contrary.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shrugged off the world outcry over Tehran's resumption of nuclear fuel activities. "The Iranian nation will continue its way decisively and wisely to obtain and use nuclear technology for civilian ends, and has no fear at all of the fuss created by the big powers," he said in a speech in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.
Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who still holds an influential position, said any sanctions would be futile.
"We will stand by our right to nuclear technology. They will regret creating any problems for us," he said in a sermon to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, adding that diplomacy, not confrontation, remained the best way forward.
However, Germany, France and Britain are expected to call off nuclear talks with Iran and to advocate sending the dispute to the Security Council when they meet in Berlin today, a diplomat from one of the EU trio said.
The foreign ministers of the three, along with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, are due to meet to discuss the crisis caused by Iran's move to reactivate a nuclear fuel programme mothballed under a November 2004 deal with European negotiators.
"Everybody agrees the point of no return has been reached," the diplomat said, referring to what he said was an informal consensus reached among the EU's 25 member states.
European diplomats say they now expect the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board of governors to convene early next month to discuss referring Iran to the Security Council.
They say a clear majority on the IAEA's 35-nation board favours such a move, but add that EU and US officials will work to achieve as much consensus as possible.
Russia and China, which have major energy interests in Iran, have opposed moving the dispute to the Security Council. However, Iran's latest action appears to have disconcerted Moscow. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the move with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice by telephone.
The Security Council's five permanent members recently sent letters to Iran urging it not to restart its nuclear fuel activities.