World powers mull changes to Iran nuclear offer

BRUSSELS: World powers are mulling whether to reformulate an offer to Iran to persuade it to suspend uranium enrichment, even as they discuss new UN sanctions, an EU diplomat said Wednesday.
"The package of incentives for Iran could be repackaged to make it more attractive, but that does not mean we are going to add things to it," he added.
On Monday, officials from the major powers -- UN Security Council permanent members the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany -- discussed a new report on Iran's nuclear activities and possible next steps.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has, for more than 18 months, been trying to persuade the Islamic republic to suspend uranium enrichment in exchange for a vast package of political, trade and economic incentives.
As he held out this diplomatic carrot however, pressure has mounted at the UN Security Council, which has slapped two sets of sanctions on Iran and is in the process of preparing a third.
Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

Russian nuclear fuel delivered to Iran

 

TEHRAN: Russia delivered a sixth consignment of fuel for Iran's first nuclear power plant in the Gulf port of Bushehr on Thursday which makes it around 80 percent of the consignment, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"The sixth load of nuclear fuel arrived at the Bushehr plant on Thursday morning," said a statement from the Organisation for Production and Development of Nuclear Energy quoted by the news agency.
The delivery brings the nuclear fuel supplied by Russia so far to 66 tones or around 80 percent of the total order of 82 tones, agency said.

New UN resolution on Iran envisions talks

MOSCOW: A new draft UN Security Council resolution on Iran's nuclear programme envisages direct talks with Tehran that would include the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.
The five permanent members of the Security Council, plus Germany, agreed earlier in the day in Berlin on the text of the resolution aimed at getting Iran to heed international demands to halt uranium enrichment.
"It's clearly confirmed by the resolution that direct negotiations on resolving all questions related to the Iranian nuclear programme -- with the participation of all six powers, including the United States -- would be initiated if Iran accepts the proposals of the six," Lavrov said.
He made his remarks to Russian journalists after the Berlin meeting, the Ria-Novosti news agency reported.
Lavrov said the new wording "not only acknowledges, but salutes progress made by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in clarifying aspects of Iran's nuclear programme".
The resolution underlines "support" among the six powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United States -- for the IAEA's efforts towards alleviating their remaining concerns, he said.
Iran -- which rejects Western fears that it is covertly developing nuclear weapons -- has promised to deliver answers on outstanding questions put to it "within the next two or three weeks," Lavrov

Israel welcomes accord on UN Iran resolution

JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official on Wednesday welcomed world powers agreeing on the text of a new UN Security Council resolution against Iran over its disputed nuclear programme.
The chairman of the Israeli parliament's powerful foreign affairs and defense committee, Tzahi Hanegbi, hailed the agreement by the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany reached in Berlin on Tuesday.
"It is important that the five members of the Security Council and Germany are in agreement, as the Iranian leadership has recently made it seem as if their nuclear programme enjoys impunity and as if the sword was not hanging above their head," Hanegbi told army radio.
"Before considering a military option against the Iranian nuclear programme one must prove that all the other means have been exhausted," he said.

Israel: ‘No options’ out on Iran nuclear program--It is Olmert’s clearest statement yet that Israel is willing to use force

 

 

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a powerful parliamentary panel on Monday that Israel rejects "no options" to block Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a meeting participant said.

The statement was the Israeli leader's clearest indication yet that he is willing to use military force against Iran.

"Israel clearly will not reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran," the meeting participant quoted Olmert as telling the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. "All options that prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities are legitimate within the context of how to grapple with this matter."

The meeting participant spoke on condition of anonymity because the session was closed.

Olmert addressed the panel days after discussing Iran's nuclear ambitions in talks with President Bush in Jerusalem.

During that visit, Israeli officials disputed the recently released conclusions of a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate that concluded Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

In Jerusalem, Bush declared that Iran remained "a threat to world peace," but reasserted his commitment to trying to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program diplomatically.

Israel, which sent warplanes in 1981 to demolish an unfinished nuclear reactor in Iraq, advocates a diplomatic solution to the Iranian standoff as well. But in his comments to the parliamentary committee, Olmert said: "It's clear that Israel won't reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran. We reject no options a priori."

U.S lodges diplomatic protest against Iran

The incident was another sign of tension between the United States and Iran, at odds over a range of issues including Tehran's nuclear program and its alleged role in Iraq.

The Strait of Hormuz is the most prominent potential "choke point" for crude oil flows, handling 17 million barrels per day, or two-fifths of globally traded oil.

Close to opening fire
U.S. officials have said U.S. sailors were close to opening fire Sunday before the Iranian boats moved away. They have said they believe the boats came from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"I'd much rather prevent a war than fight one," Mullen said. "We'd all prefer Iran to take a more productive, positive role in the region. And I support the use of economic and diplomatic measures to help bring that about."

"But our own military restraint in dealing with that problem should in turn never be confused for a lack of capability."

Some U.S. commentators have suggested the U.S. sailors should have opened fire and their restraint will be interpreted by Iran as a sign of weakness. But Mullen, a former head of the U.S. Navy, said the crews' actions had been "exactly right."

Sides release videos, conflicting accounts
Both the United States and Iran have issued video footage to support their conflicting accounts of the incident.

The United States has also released the recording of a message it says was received by one of the U.S. ships. "You will explode after... minutes," a heavily accented voice on the recording says.

U.S. officials initially said the audio was believed to have come from one of the Iranian boats but they have since said they are not certain of its exact origin.

"I can't shed any light as far as the radio transmission is concerned," Mullen said. "If you're out there on the bridge, it's hard to tell where (radio transmissions are) coming from."

Tehran's strategy shift
The recent confrontation in the Persian Gulf reflects a strategy shift by Tehran to use its Revolutionary Guard's fast boats more aggressively in the region, Mullen said.

Mullen said the U.S. has been focused "for several years" on this shift to greater use of small, fast boats by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has taken over patrols in the Gulf from Tehran's regular navy.

"It's clearly strategically where the Iranian military has gone," said Mullen. "There's a projection they were going to do that over a number of years ... That was a big concern to me because of the history and the background with the (Revolutionary Guard). This fits that mold, as far as I was concerned."

Navy official: Ship fired warning at Iran boat-Admiral says U.S. will defend ships with ‘deadly force’ against Tehran

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy said Friday that one of its ships fired warning shots at a small Iranian boat in the Strait of Hormuz in December during one of two serious encounters that month.

The USS Whidbey Island fired the warning shots on Dec. 19 in response to a small Iranian boat that was rapidly approaching it, said a U.S. Navy official.

"One small (Iranian) craft was coming toward it, and it stopped after the Whidbey Island fired warning shots," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
It was the first official confirmation that the United States had fired warning shots in any recent confrontation with Iran in the Gulf.

In the second incident that month, the USS Carr encountered three small Iranian craft on Dec. 22, two of which were armed, said the official. The USS Carr did not fire warning shots, but sent warning blasts on the ship's whistle, which caused the boats to turn around.

Diplomatic protest lodged in another incident
The reports come a day after the United States lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Iran over an incident Sunday in which Iranian speedboats harassed U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf.

Adm. William J. Fallon, the top U.S. military commander in the Mideast, said Friday that Iran runs the risk of triggering an unintended conflict if its boats continue to harass U.S. warships in the strait.

And Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday that the United States is ready to counter any threat.

"The incident ought to remind us all just how real is the threat posed by Iran and just how ready we are to meet that threat if it comes to it," Mullen told reporters.

"We will defend ourselves and our ships, and we will do so with deadly force if need be," he said at the Pentagon.

Latest incident in Persian Gulf
Five Iranian speedboats maneuvered aggressively close to three U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, as the U.S. ships received a radio transmission threatening an explosion, according to the United States.

The United States released its complete 35-minute video of the incident, but it contained little new from the 4-minute edited version released earlier this week.

The United States has formally complained about the incident. But Iranian officials have dismissed U.S. objections, saying the encounter was normal and the Iranian boats were merely trying to identify the U.S. vessels.