French Warning to Tehren: suspended nuclear operations or risk consequences

[johnny861]

Tough European warning to Tehran

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has urged Iran not to resume suspended nuclear operations, warning that to do so would lead
to "consequences."


Officials at the UN atomic agency say Iran is backing away from a plan to resume uranium enrichment, which could be used to develop nuclear arms.

A diplomat quoted by the AP news agency said Tehran had been dissuaded from the plan by the European warning.

The consequences are assumed to be action by the UN Security Council.

"We continue to hope that Iran will not take this step, the consequences of which it is well aware," Mr Barnier said.

He said such a move would "be counter to the Paris agreement and resolutions adopted by the IAEA. We want to get this position across to the authorities in Tehran".

Negotiations have been taking place between Iran and three European countries, Britain, France and Germany, to try to agree a way of ensuring that Iran's nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

'Peaceful purposes'

An Iranian news agency says the country's top nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, has warned that Iran will no longer respect the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if it is prevented from using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

"If Iran cannot exercise its rights with in the framework of the NPT, it will no longer have any respect for this treaty," Mr Rohani said.

Mr Rohani told state television that Iran had received messages from the Europeans, but said the decision to resume work at its Isfahan nuclear plant was definite.

"Iran will definitely resume a part of its enrichment activities in the near future... but we are still discussing its conditions and time of restarting the activities."

'Engineered crisis'

Iran has been saying for the last two weeks that it intends to resume conversion of raw uranium into gas at its Isfahan plant, a move that would give it the capability to produce enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb.

A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator has been sent to the UN agency, the IAEA, in Vienna with a letter.

Some reports say the letter, which has not been delivered, contains formal notification that Iran is about to break United Nations seals on the Isfahan plant.

The breaking of the seals would, correspondents say, signal the collapse of the negotiating process on Iran's nuclear programmes.

The basis of the talks was a promise by Iran to suspend all its nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment.

If that fails there is the prospect of referral to the United Nations Security Council.

Correspondents say that Iran may be engineering a controlled crisis to obtain more concessions in the talks, but Western officials warn that this is misreading the mood in Europe, which is not willing to tolerate Iran violating its agreements.

Iran, however, says it agreed to suspend its nuclear activities only on a short-term basis and on the assumption that negotiations were progressing well.

[Funkenstein]

France pulling an America, eh? At least they are turning to the UN first rather than pulling a Vietnam part deux.

France to Tehran "Go away or I shall taunt you a second time"

[johnny861]

Originally Posted by rufuspfunk

France pulling an America, eh? At least they are turning to the UN first rather than pulling a Vietnam part deux.

I'm glad too... Imagine a 12 year American "police action" in Iran...

[Satchel]

This is the part where France does exactly what the right wingers want, and to thank them they will ridicule them incessantly.

Originally Posted by Satchel

This is the part where France does exactly what the right wingers want, and to thank them they will ridicule them incessantly.

could you clariy what you're saying?


If the French threat is succesful - hooray - congrats......


If you were Iran, how seriously would you take an ultimatum from a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys?

[transparentaura]

Isn't it a bit ironic that an Islamic theocracy clinging to 9th century values needs a nuclear program? Or that a country with all that oil insists on building reactors while The US, a country with a bunch of reactors but no oil insists on drilling for oil? Or France, after seeing Iran thumb their nose at a well armed maniac like GWB, decides that Iran will be cowed by an ultimatum from them, France?

[Satchel]

Originally Posted by transparentaura

Isn't it a bit ironic that an Islamic theocracy clinging to 9th century values needs a nuclear program? Or that a country with all that oil insists on building reactors while The US, a country with a bunch of reactors but no oil insists on drilling for oil? Or France, after seeing Iran thumb their nose at a well armed maniac like GWB, decides that Iran will be cowed by an ultimatum from them, France?

lol, definitely plenty of irony there

Originally Posted by johnny861

I'm glad too... Imagine a 12 year American "police action" in Iran...

...then imagine a draft. With recruitment down, we have a hard enough time keeping troops in Iraq.

[Oscuro]

Originally Posted by transparentaura

Isn't it a bit ironic that an Islamic theocracy clinging to 9th century values needs a nuclear program? Or that a country with all that oil insists on building reactors while The US, a country with a bunch of reactors but no oil insists on drilling for oil? Or France, after seeing Iran thumb their nose at a well armed maniac like GWB, decides that Iran will be cowed by an ultimatum from them, France?

Oh so we have no oil huh ? You do know we supply 40% of the oil we use in this country.

[Adam D]

Originally Posted by transparentaura

Isn't it a bit ironic that an Islamic theocracy clinging to 9th century values needs a nuclear program?

It sort of makes sense...the less oil they use domestically, the more they can sell. However, I think Iran's real intent is to go the way of North Korea and increase the risks of an outright attack from the US.

[johnny861]

Originally Posted by Leary

...then imagine a draft. With recruitment down, we have a hard enough time keeping troops in Iraq.

The military is going to implement a new enlistment service nationwide. Will require the enlisted to serve only 2 years active duty, then allow them to serve the other 2 years doing something else, such as the national gaurd, or the peace corp., etc... we'll see if it helps boost enlistment or not...

[Satchel]

Their new enlistment website is pretty catchy

www.forceministries.com

[Xodiac]

warning that to do so would lead
to "consequences."

Man, I hate it when things lead to "consequences"!

Originally Posted by xiannaix

If you were Iran, how seriously would you take an ultimatum from a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys?

Tsk Tsk Tsk.....for a man of obvious intelligence you dissapoint me sometimes C