Iran will never suspend uranium enrichment as demanded by the West, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said today.
Manouchehr Mottaki during a press conference today. Photo: REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi
His declaration came after world powers agreed to work on a new UN resolution over Tehran's atomic plans.
The five permanent UN Security Council members - the United States, France, Russia, China and Britain - plus Germany met in London yesterday against a background of rising international tension over Iran's atomic plans.
"Suspending uranium enrichment is an illegal and illegitimate demand . . . and it will never happen," Mr Mottaki was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.
The United Nations imposed limited sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme in December, and Tehran faces possible further steps for ignoring a February 21st deadline to halt enrichment, which the West says Iran is using so it can make nuclear bombs.
Iran, the world's fourth biggest oil producer, insists it only wants to enrich uranium to make fuel for nuclear power plants.
"Iran is ready to show that its programme is not being diverted to nuclear weapons and to give guarantees," the foreign minister said.
Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister
Senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has said his country would be open to talks with the US over the country's nuclear programme as long as there were no conditions.
"If the United States presents a request for negotiations through the official channels and it appears these negotiations are positive and constructive and logical, we are ready to examine this request with a positive eye," Mr Larijani said.
"Fixing preconditions means that you have already determined the result of negotiations in advance and it is for this reason that such policies have produced no result up to now."
Tehran insists that its uranium enrichment programme is designed to fuel power stations for civilians.
Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, a key opponent of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, yesterday warned that "humiliating" Iran over its uranium enrichment could spawn intransigence.