Iran resumes building centrifuges

By The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times

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Iran has not restarted enriching uranium with the centrifuges — a step that would raise further alarm. But the resumption of centrifuge construction is likely to push European nations, which have been seeking a negotiated resolution, closer to the United States' more confrontational stance.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons and wants the U.N. Security Council to take up the issue. Iran denies the charge and says the centrifuges are part of a nuclear program aimed only at producing energy.

Under international pressure last year, the Islamic republic agreed to stop enriching uranium and stop making centrifuges, in a deal reached with Britain, France and Germany.

But the moratorium ended several weeks ago, when Iran — angry over international perusal of its nuclear program — broke seals placed on enrichment equipment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the diplomats told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Iranian officials then resumed assembling and installing centrifuges, which can enrich uranium fuel for generating power or developing warheads, the diplomats said.

The diplomats — all familiar with Iran's nuclear dossier — cautioned against equating Iran's move with the removal of IAEA seals by North Korea two years ago as it expelled agency inspectors and declared itself no longer bound by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

For the past year, the IAEA has been carrying out stringent inspections of Iranian facilities. In June, the IAEA's Board of Governors rebuked Iran in a sharply phrased resolution indicating it felt too many unanswered questions remained.

Senior diplomats from France, Britain and Germany are scheduled to meet with Iranian officials this week in London in an effort to salvage a diplomatic initiative that virtually fell apart last month when Iran announced it would resume building equipment that could be used for making a nuclear bomb, U.S. and European officials said yesterday.

Iran had pledged to halt activities consistent with a weapons program in exchange for trade incentives from the European Union. But it backed out of some terms in June after the Europeans supported a toughly worded rebuke of Iran for failing to cooperate with international inspectors.

The Bush administration, convinced the Iranians are concealing a weapons program, is hoping its European allies will take a tough approach at the upcoming meeting and offer Iran a last chance to suspend its nuclear programs or face international condemnation in the U.N. Security Council, a senior administration official said.

Most of the IAEA's concerns about Iran's nuclear program focus on traces of highly enriched uranium found at several sites and the extent and nature of work on the advanced P-2 centrifuge.

Iran has grudgingly acknowledged working with the P-2, but said its activities were purely experimental. It says the minute amounts of enriched uranium were from equipment bought on the nuclear black market.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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