Iran's outgoing president said today his country will resume uranium reprocessing for peaceful purposes no matter what the outcome of talks with key European powers aimed at reducing suspicions about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
President Mohammad Khatami, who will be replaced by conservative president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Aug. 6, said the government has already decided to resume uranium reprocessing at a nuclear plant in central Iran.
Reprocessing raw uranium into a gas is a key step before uranium enrichment.
Uranium enriched to low levels can be used as fuel in nuclear power plants to generate electricity, but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in a nuclear bomb.
However, Khatami added Iran has "no intention to end suspension of uranium enrichment."
The United States fears Iran's nuclear program is aimed at producing weapons.
In November, Iran suspended all uranium enrichment-related activities to build international trust and avoid possible UN sanctions. But it has repeatedly said the suspension is voluntary and temporary.
In May, Iran agreed with France, Germany and Britain to continue the suspension of enrichment and related activities including reprocessing for as long as the talks continue. In return, the Europeans pledged to come up with a package of economic and other incentives by August in hopes of persuading Iran to make the temporary suspension into a permanent freeze.
Iran has said it is prepared to offer strong guarantees that its nuclear program will not be diverted toward weapons. But Tehran has always maintained it will not give up its right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
"Whether the Europeans mention our right in their would-be proposals or not, we will definitely resume work in Isfahan," Khatami said at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. The Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility reprocesses raw uranium into a gas, the feedstock for enrichment.
"The end of the deadline is (when) the Europeans come up with their comprehensive plan," said Khatami. "It was expected that they will agree to Isfahan restarting activities. We prefer to do it with their agreement. If they don't, then the decision to resume activities in Isfahan has already been taken by the ruling system."
Iran has a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, about 60 miles north of Isfahan, but such activities were suspended in 2003 under an arrangement between Tehran and the Europeans.