Russia, Iran Fail To Achieve Breakthrough On Uranium Enrichment
Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani speaking with reporters as he arrived at Moscow airport earlier today (epa)
News agencies quote unidentified Russian sources as saying today's talks "did not manage so far to achieve a decisive breakthrough."
The two sides met at a Moscow hotel for a third round of talks after two previous negotiating sessions that made no visible progress.
The chief Iranian nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying after the talks that Iran would not stop its own uranium enrichment, even if a deal with Russia were reached.
Larijani said talks with Moscow would be continued to work out outstanding issues, but it was not immediately clear whether negotiations would be continued tomorrow.
(AP, AFP, Reuters)
READ
On 4 February, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency approved in a 27-3 vote a resolution to report the matter of Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council. The key section of the resolution is Section 1, which states that the Board of Governors:
Underlines that outstanding questions can best be resolved and confidence built in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's program by Iran responding positively to the calls for confidence-building measures which the Board has made on Iran, and in this context deems it necessary for Iran to:
- reestablish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and processing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the Agency;
- reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water;
- ratify promptly and implement in full Additional Protocol;
- pending ratification, continue to act in accordance with the provisions of the Additional Protocol with Iran signed on 18 December 2003;
- implement the transparency measures, as requested by the Director General, which extend beyond the former requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, and include such access to individuals, documentation relating to procurement, dual use equipment, certain military-owned workshops and research and development as the Agency may request in support of its ongoing investigations.
COMPLETE TEXT: To read the final resolution, with late-hour changes highlighted, click here.
THE COMPLETE PICTURE: RFE/RL's complete coverage of controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program.
An annotated timeline of Iran's nuclear program.