Iranian Parliament backs nuclear work US opposes

Iran's parliament voted yesterday to oblige the government to develop a nuclear fuel cycle - an action opposed by Washington which fears the Islamic republic is seeking to acquire atomic weapons.

The vote will increase pressure on talks with France, Germany and Britain aimed at quelling fears about Iran's nuclear ambitions. The European Union trio persuaded Iran to suspend the fuel cycle last year to clear the way for talks, but Iranian officials frustrated with the sluggish pace of negotiations have threatened to restart nuclear activities.

The EU three have said a resumption would force them to back Washington's plan to haul Tehran before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Iran says its nuclear fuel is needed only for peaceful power generation, not for weapons.

"The Europeans are trying to turn the suspension into a permanent cessation which is what we, the Parliament, are rejecting outright today," lawmaker Kazem Jalali said following the parliamentary vote, which was broadcast live on state radio.

The motion, which obliges Iran "to take action to obtain peaceful nuclear technology, including provision of the fuel cycle for generating 20,000 megawatts of electricity", was approved by 188 out of 205 lawmakers present.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters the government was obliged to do what Parliament had decided.

Iran sees the nuclear fuel cycle as an issue of national sovereignty, insisting it has every right to enrich the uranium ore it mines in its central deserts.

But the EU trio have demanded a guarantee of Iran's goodwill, saying only by dropping domestic production and importing the nuclear fuel needed for power stations can it prove its peaceful intentions.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani said Iran had postponed announcing its resumption of fuel cycle activities after the EU trio, Japan, Russia and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had asked them to give talks one last shot.

"If we don't reach an agreement, we will definitely stand firm on our decision and will restart part of our activities," he told state television.

Diplomatic sources in Vienna said the Iranians would probably meet the French, British and German foreign ministers on May 23 or 24 to try to reach a deal, but that the date still needed to be confirmed.

Many political analysts speculate that Iran is unlikely to spark a full blown international crisis before its presidential elections next month.

The current perception of a crisis point plays neatly into the hands of the leading candidate, political heavyweight and former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has a reputation as a dealmaker.