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Tehran says it sees little benefit from nuclear pact
In the meantime, two sources closely involved with the project told Reuters on Monday that Russia plans to start up the nuclear reactor at Iran’s Bushehr power plant in March 2010 to coincide with the Iranian New Year. The sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, both said that Russia had ordered the plant be ready for operation by Iranian New Year, known as Nowruz, in the second half of March.
Monday’s comments by Larijani, an influential conservative politician, were a further sign of deteriorating relations between Iran and world powers seeking a diplomatic solution to a long-running row over Iran’s nuclear program. Last week the UN nuclear agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] rebuked Iran for building a uranium enrichment plant in secret.
“I believe that their moves are harming the NPT the most ... now whether you are a member of the NPT or pull out of it has no difference,” Larijani told a news conference. The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the decision to build the new enrichment plants was direct response to the IAEA condemnation.
“This decision was the result of the recent (IAEA) resolution, and Iran’s government sent a strong message,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, quoted by state broadcaster IRIB.
Withdrawal from NPT
Top Iranian officials have repeatedly said Tehran has no intention to leave the NPT, under which its nuclear sites are subject to regular UN nuclear watchdog inspections, or seek nuclear weapons it says violate the tenets of Islam.
Strategic analysts also believe Iran would think twice before quitting the NPT since such a move would betray nuclear weapons ambitions and could provoke a pre-emptive attack by Israel and possibly the United States.
Salehi, said Tehran would not violate its international commitments, state television reported.
But a hard-line newspaper editor, appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asked in an editorial whether it was time for Tehran to withdraw from the treaty.
“After seven years of hasty behavior by the agency and [six world powers involved in diplomatic efforts to resolve the row] isn’t it time for Iran to pull out of the NPT?” wrote managing editor Hossein Shariatmadari of Kayhan newspaper. “This is a serious question and needs a logical answer.”
The 35-nation IAEA board angered Iran on Friday when it censured it for secretly building a second uranium enrichment plant in a mountain bunker near the holy city of Qom, in addition to one in Natanz. Hitting back, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government on Sunday announced the plans for the 10 new enrichment plants.
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