Iran will not back down on resuming nuclear activities opposed by the West but may wait for a few weeks if talks with European powers go well, the chief Iranian negotiator said today.
Secretary-General of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Hassan
Speaking in an interview today, Mr Hassan Rohani repeatedly said that Iran would not change its mind about restarting a plant in the city of Isfahan that converts raw uranium into a gas that can be used to feed nuclear power plants or make atomic bombs.
He added, however, that such a step would not lead automatically to the next and most critical stage of the nuclear fuel process - the enrichment of uranium.
"The decision for a resumption of activities in Isfahan has been made and it is irreversible," he said.
Any delay could postpone a growing crisis with the European Union and the United States over Tehran's nuclear plans until after an Iranian presidential election on June 17th, although Mr Rohani said there was no link between the two.
He said the only area for discussion at talks with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in Paris set for May 23rd were the timing of a resumption and the conditions, including arrangements for international inspections.
"If we feel that the Europeans are determined to exercise the agreements, and also we feel that they do not want to waste time, we would have no problem to delay resumption of activities in the Isfahan facility for some weeks."
Reacting to Mr Rohani's remarks, a US State Department spokesman said Iran should not posture but "rather try to reassure the international community that has been more and more concerned about its activities".