Iran says it will cooperate with inspectors if allowed to make nuclear fue

[sabra]

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/09/12/afx2219442.html

Iran says it will cooperate with inspectors if allowed to make nuclear fuel

VIENNA (AFX) - Iran said on Monday it would cooperate fully with UN atomic inspectors provided it was allowed to make nuclear fuel, according to a document presented to members of the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency.

The document presented by Iranian foreign ministry official Ali Reza Soltanieh at an informal IAEA meeting in Vienna was Iran's first detailed reaction to a report by IAEA director general Mohamed El Baradei on September 2 that said critical questions remained about Tehran's nuclear program.

The United States says Iran is hiding work on developing nuclear weapons and wants the IAEA to refer the Islamic Republic to the UN Security Council, which could impose penalties.

In a clear reference to the United States the Iranian document says the IAEA has 'to prevent a certain state' from escalating the conflict 'under the false pretext of the existence of WMD (weapons of mass destruction)'.

[AlamoDemoc]

1. Iran should not bound to pressure

from the EU or from the United States...Iranians has given full access to the inspectors of the IAEA on their most suspected enrichment facilities, and that there are now cameras mounted on those facilities, monitoring every move scientists make. I think Iran benefits from being sent to the UN security council for economic sanctions. For them, its a win win situation.

[jsamuel]

2. very interesting

[drduffy]

3. plus, the Iranians hold a trump card

relative to Europe and elsewhere. They control about 10% of the world's known oil reserves. No sane country dependent upon middle east oil (all of them) would want to see the US threaten that supply. And you can bet that the Iranians have the same kind of fail safe that Saudis have in their oil fields. The capability of destroying those fields. I wonder how many allies the US really can muster up in Europe and elsewhere.

[wordout]

4. Iran's trump card is their big bodyguard to the north N/T