Iran Will Go to UN Security Council Over Nuclear Work

Iran will be referred to the
United Nations Security Council after a divided nuclear
safeguards group cited the Islamic Republic's intention to make
atomic fuel as evidence its motives might not be ``peaceful.''
The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board
of governors voted today in favor of referring Iran to the UN
Security Council at a later date. The U.S.-backed resolution,
submitted yesterday by French, German and U.K. diplomats, cited
the ``absence of confidence that Iran's nuclear program is
exclusively for peaceful purposes.''
Brazil, China and Russia led a group of 12 counties that
abstained from the vote. Venezuela opposed referral. This is
the first time the board of the Vienna-based IAEA has been
split in a vote since February 2003, when it sent North Korea
to the Security Council.
``Today I see a divided board,'' said IAEA Director
General Mohamed ElBaradei. ``We can ill afford to be divided.''
The agency's board will choose the ``timing and content'' of
its report to the Security Council, ElBaradei said.
Diplomats have negotiated for six days in the Austrian
capital, trying to decide how to deal with Iran's decision to
remove IAEA seals from a uranium-conversion facility on Aug. 9.
Iran, with the world's second-biggest oil reserves, says it
wants to enrich uranium for atomic fuel used to generate
electricity. The U.S. says the Iranian leadership is trying to
produce material to build an atomic bomb.

`Deception, Concealment'

``Iran's pattern of deception, concealment and
confrontation is of increasing concern to the world
community,'' said U.S. ambassador to the IAEA Greg Schulte. He
called Iran's behavior a threat to international ``peace and
security.''
Iran could be formally referred to the Security Council as
soon as the IAEA's next board meeting, on Nov. 24. The Council
has the power to impose economic sanctions.
This is the eighth IAEA resolution in two years
criticizing Iran's nuclear program.
``The U.S. and U.K. wish to eliminate Iran's peaceful
nuclear fuel cycle,'' said Javad Vaidi, deputy director of
Iran's National Security Council. ``They will fail.''
Iran may re-start its uranium enrichment program if it's
sent to the Security Council, Iranian delegate Ali Asghar
Soltani said Sept. 21. ``This is very dangerous to go the way
of confrontation,'' Vaidi, said yesterday.

`Non-Compliance'

Iran is only the fifth country to be found in ``non-
compliance'' of its nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
obligations. The other countries were Libya, Iraq, North Korea
and Romania. All were sent to the UN Security Council.
``This is a resolution with a completely negative focus
that isn't politically objective,'' read a statement
distributed by the Venezuelan delegation.
Under IAEA bylaws, the board of governors is required to
submit a report to the UN's Security Council if a country is in
``non-compliance.''

EU Backs Off `Dangerous' UN Council Referral for Iran

The European Union submitted a
resolution that would delay a United Nations Security Council
referral over Iran's uranium enrichment intentions, after the
Iranian government said the threat could lead to confrontation.
The U.S.-backed resolution proposed by the EU says Iran is in
``non-compliance'' and that Iran's nuclear program has ``given
rise to questions that are within the competence of the Security
Council,'' according to a three-page copy distributed at the
International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna late today.
Diplomats have been trying to decide how to deal with Iran's
decision to remove IAEA seals from a uranium-conversion facility
on Aug. 9. Iran, with the world's second-biggest oil reserves,
says it wants enriched uranium to generate electricity. The U.S.
says the Iranian leadership is trying to produce material to build
an atomic bomb.
The IAEA will continue leading the investigation into Iran's
nuclear program, and its board of governors will address ``the
timing and content'' of a Security Council referral at a future
meeting, the resolution says. Iran could be sent to the Security
Council as early as Nov. 24, when the board of governors next
meets.
Earlier in the day, an Iranian government official warned
against a move to send the matter to the UN's highest body in New
York.
``This is very dangerous to go the way of confrontation,''
said Javad Vaidi, spokesman for Iran's National Security Council.
``We want a peaceful resolution to this issue.''
The IAEA's 35-member board plans to vote on the EU resolution
tomorrow, and support from 18 governments is needed for approval.
This would be the eighth IAEA resolution criticizing Iran in the
past two years.

Russian Opposition

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today that he was
opposed to threatening Iran with a Security Council referral
because talks were advancing, the Interfax news agency reported.
Russia and China, both veto-wielding permanent members of the
Security Council, want Iran's nuclear program dealt with through
the IAEA, they said in statements delivered to the board
yesterday.
The Non-Aligned Movement of 14 countries also ``would prefer
a more constructive approach'' than the EU draft resolutions,
Malaysian delegate Rajmah Hussain said earlier. ``We're still
trying to negotiate a way out,'' she said.
The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that UN
sanctions would push the price of oil to $100 a barrel, Agence
France-Presse reported from Tehran, citing General Yahya Rahim
Safavi.
Reports from Tehran show that Iran is linking support for its
nuclear program to energy deals. Inpex Corp., Japan's biggest oil
explorer, may lose a $2.5 billion project to develop Iran's
Azadegan field if it supports the referral of the Iran dispute to
the Security Council, the Tehran Times reported. The National
Iranian Oil Co. subsidiary Petropars will participate in a
contract worth more than $2 billion to develop an oil field in
Venezuela, the newspaper said. Venezuela is against referral.

Energy Deals

Iran has been signing energy agreements with IAEA board
members. Iran is set to supply China with 10 million tons of
liquefied natural gas annually beginning in 2008, Iran's Oil
Ministry said July 6. It's also planning a $7.4 billion natural-
gas pipeline to India.
``Those countries that have economic transactions with Iran,
especially in the field of oil, have not defended Iran's right so
far,'' AFP cited Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani as
saying earlier this week. ``Based on how much they defend Iran's
national right will facilitate their participation.''
A meeting of the agency's governing board is in its fifth day
at IAEA headquarters in the Austrian capital.
The Non-Aligned Movement countries opposing sending Iran to
the Security Council are: Algeria, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, India,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tunisia,
Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.

EU Plan to Send Iran to UN Council Is Put on Hold

The European Union put on hold a U.S.-
backed proposal to send Iran to the United Nations Security
Council for possible sanctions after a group of developing nations
supported by China and Russia defended the Islamic Republic's
right to enrich uranium.
An alternative plan, offered by French, German and U.K.
diplomats at a meeting of the UN's International Atomic Energy
Agency, finds Iran in ``non-compliance'' with nuclear safeguards
agreements. The draft doesn't refer the dispute to the Security
Council, according to a copy obtained by Bloomberg News.
The new proposal from the ``EU-3,'' which also has U.S.
support, asks the IAEA to prepare a report that may be sent to the
council as early as November if Iran is still in ``non-
compliance'' or threatens ``peace and security.'' The Europeans
haven't withdrawn the tougher resolution, which would refer Iran
to the council immediately, leaving open the possibility they may
still force a vote to sanction the Islamic Republic.
``The suspension of Iran's enrichment and reprocessing
activities is a voluntary and non-legally-binding confidence-
building measure,'' said Malaysia's Rajmah Hussain, representing
the Non-Aligned Movement of 14 developing nations. The IAEA ``is
the sole competent authority for verification,'' he said.
A meeting of the agency's 35-member governing board was in
its fourth day at IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

Competing Resolution

A competing resolution proposed to the governors by the Non-
Aligned Movement asks Iran to ``continue its proactive
cooperation'' with the IAEA. The meeting was suspended until
tomorrow to give diplomats time to agree on the final wording of a
resolution on the issue.
Diplomats are trying to decide how to deal with Iran's
decision to remove seals from a uranium-conversion facility on
Aug. 9. Iran, with the world's second-biggest oil reserves, says
it wants enriched uranium to generate electricity. The U.S. says
the Islamic Republic wants the material to build an atomic bomb.
The EU says it's ``gravely concerned'' that Iran continues to
convert raw uranium into uranium hexafluoride gas at its Isfahan
facility. Western diplomats propose that IAEA inspectors be
granted ``unrestricted access'' to Iranian facilities, including
military sites at Parchin and Lavisan-Shian.
Iran's delegate to the IAEA, Mohamad Akhondzadeh, told
reporters the country ``is committed to its obligations.'' The
Islamic Republic wants to continue developing its nuclear
capability by creating international joint ventures to promote
investment and facilitate openness, he said.
Russia and China today issued statements urging diplomats at
the board meeting to resolve the issue at the IAEA and not to
refer the dispute to the Security Council. Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that a Security Council
referral would be ``counter-productive,'' RIA-Novosti reported.
``Whatever it takes to get the parties together is a good
move,'' IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said today in
Vienna. ``The best is to get a unanimous board.''
The Non-Aligned Movement countries opposing sending Iran to
the Security Council are: Algeria, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, India,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tunisia,
Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.

Iran Wins Developing States' Support on UN Referral

Diplomats from developing nations
rejected calls by the U.S. and Europe to send Iran to the United
Nations Security Council for possible sanctions over its nuclear
program.
Iran's case ``should remain in the purview of the
International Atomic Energy Agency,'' according to a one-page
resolution drafted by the 14-member Non-Aligned Movement at this
week's meeting of the UN watchdog's 35-member board of governors.
The proposed resolution was written today after Iranian Vice
President Gholamreza Aghazadeh arrived in Vienna for the talks.
The IAEA board said it hopes Iranian and Western diplomats
will resume negotiations on the Islamic Republic's nuclear
program. The governors also said they can't forecast the outcome
of a resolution backed by the U.S. and Europe that would refer
the dispute over Iran to the Security Council.
Iran won't leave the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if
referred to the council, Iranian delegate Ali Asghar Soltani told
reporters in Vienna, denying a report that a pullout was
possible. Iran will resume uranium enrichment and withdraw from
voluntary inspection agreements if referred, he said. Agence
France-Presse yesterday reported Iran may leave the treaty.
``It's very hard to predict the outcome'' of the
negotiations, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said today
as the board met for a third day at the agency's Vienna offices.
``I still hope that people go back to negotiation.''

Uranium Enrichment

U.S. and European diplomats are pressing for an IAEA
resolution asking the Security Council to confront Iran about its
intention to enrich uranium. The board suspended further meetings
today and will convene again tomorrow.
The IAEA should ``give the Security Council an opportunity
to throw its weight and authority behind the Board's
resolutions,'' said U.K. diplomat Peter Jenkins in a statement to
the board on behalf of the European Union. ``It will give the
Security Council an opportunity to endorse the Board's calls for
confidence-building measures.''
The EU statement cited concern about Iran's resumption of
uranium conversion activities and lack of cooperation in
answering IAEA questions.
``A growing number of countries agree with the European
Union that the time has come to refer Iran to the Security
Council,'' the U.S. ambassador to the IAEA, Greg Schulte, said.
Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. support reporting
Iran to the 15-member Security Council in New York.

Non-Aligned Stance

The 14 developing countries said they don't want a Security
Council referral for Iran to set a precedent. Iran's earlier
suspension of enrichment was ``a voluntary and non-legally
binding confidence-building measure,'' the head of the Non-
Aligned Movement, Malaysian Ambassador Rajmah Hussain, said on
Aug. 11.
Iran broke IAEA seals on an idled uranium-conversion plant
on Aug. 9. Iran says it needs nuclear fuel to generate
electricity. The U.S. says the Islamic Republic wants to build an
atomic bomb.
Iran, with the world's second-largest oil reserves, is
threatening to punish countries that support a Security Council
referral by restricting access to its energy sector, the Tehran
Times reported today.
Inpex Corp, Japan's biggest oil explorer, may lose a $2.5
billion project to develop Iran's Azadegan field if it supports
the referral of the Iran dispute to the Security Council, the
newspaper reported. The National Iranian Oil Co. subsidiary
Petropars will participate in a contract worth more than $2
billion to develop an oil field in Venezuela, according to Tehran
Times.

Venezuelan Backing

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is seeking Iran's help in
developing a nuclear energy program for the South American
nation. Chavez said in March that Iran can count on his support
in its confrontation with the U.S. over its nuclear program.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was against
a Security Council referral yesterday, according to Russia's RIA-
Novosti news service. Lavrov said such a move would be
``counterproductive'' because Iran is cooperating with the IAEA,
the news service reported.
Russia is helping to build a $1 billion nuclear reactor at
Bushehr in Iran.

Iran to Allow More UN Inspections of Nuclear Sites

Iran today agreed to allow stepped-
up inspections by United Nations atomic experts, as U.S. and
European delegates began negotiations to avoid the escalation of
a dispute over the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.
``Iran isn't going for confrontation,'' the country's
ambassador to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency,
Mohamad Mahdi Akhondzeh, told reporters as the IAEA board of
governors met in Vienna to discuss Iran's nuclear program. ``Iran
is ready to fulfill the UN's requests for more inspections.''
Iran claims the right to enrich uranium, which can be used
to generate energy or make an atomic bomb. The U.S. and its
European allies want Iran to give up uranium enrichment, citing
the country's 20-year history of hidden nuclear activities.
The U.S. has threatened to refer Iran to the UN Security
Council, where it may face economic sanctions, unless the country
abandons uranium enrichment. `There is no consensus'' among the
35 IAEA governors on whether to refer the issue to the council.
Akhondzeh said.
The IAEA said it needs access to more people and sites
involved in Iran's nuclear program before the agency can assure
the world the country is using nuclear power only for peaceful
purposes. Iran resumed the conversion of raw uranium to uranium
hexafluoride gas at its Isfahan facility on Aug. 9. A uranium
enrichment facility at Natanz was sealed at the IAEA's request.

`Diplomatic Brinksmanship'

``We're going through a period of confrontation and
diplomatic brinksmanship,'' IAEA Director General Mohamed
ElBaradei told reporters in Vienna as talks began. ``All parties
have expressed their preference to return to negotiations.''
The IAEA is seeking more access to Iran's Parchin military
facility, ElBaradei told the board of governors. The agency also
needs documents explaining how Iran was able to access the
technology and equipment needed to enrich uranium. IAEA
inspectors were in Iran last week.
``I would like to see a united international community,''
ElBaradei said after being asked whether referring the dispute
over Iran to the UN Security Council would risk splitting the
IAEA's board. The board usually passes resolutions by consensus,
rather than submit to votes, in an effort to show unity.

`Confidence'

Iran, with the second-largest oil reserves in the world,
expects its energy needs to double in the next 20 years to about
60,000 megawatts annually. The country's legislature last year
approved plans for nuclear power to generate 20,000 megawatts of
energy for the country's 68 million people by 2025.
Akhondzeh said Iran wants to create international joint
ventures with companies to bring investment to the country's
nuclear program and facilitate openness.
``We're extending our hand to the private and public sectors
to develop a peaceful nuclear program,'' Akhondzeh said.
``Whatever activity we do would be fully open to inspections.''
The U.S. wants to block Iran, which it brands a state sponsor
of terrorism, from developing nuclear weapons. Germany, France
and the U.K., representing the European Union, had been in U.S.-
backed talks with Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange
for economic incentives. Those talks broke down after Iran
resumed uranium conversion.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for a ``far-
reaching'' compromise to the deadlock in a UN address in New York
Sept. 17. The country is willing to continue talks with the EU-3,
he said.

Investment Deals

Iran has signed energy and investment deals in the last year
with some of the IAEA board-member countries, including China,
India, Russia and Venezuela.
The Islamic Republic is set to supply China with 10 million
tons of liquefied natural gas annually beginning in 2008, Iran's
Oil Ministry said July 6. It's also planning a $7.4 billion
natural-gas pipeline to India.
Iran is paying Russia as much as $1 billion to build a
nuclear reactor in Bushehr. The reactor will be capable of
generating about 1,000 megawatts of electricity. Iran is
``aggressively enforcing'' quality control over the project to
meet international safety standards, the IAEA said in April.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is seeking Iran's help in
developing a nuclear energy program for the South American
nation. Chavez said in March that Iran can count on his support
in its confrontation with the U.S. over its nuclear program.
The IAEA's board is comprised of Algeria, Argentina,
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, France,
Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea,
Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal,
Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden,
Tunisia, U.K., U.S., Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.
Referral of the Iranian nuclear issue to the Security
Council would require a majority vote by the IAEA board.
A three-year dispute between the U.S. and North Korea ended
today with the communist nation's agreement to give up its
nuclear arsenal and rejoin a global treaty to halt the spread of
such weapons. In return, the U.S. is providing North Korea with
security guarantees.
``We pledge to work with North Korea to go back and do
inspections to ensure that all nuclear weapons programs have been
abandoned,'' ElBaradei said. ``What we see coming from Korea
gives me a lot of confidence that complex issues can be solved.

U.S., EU Want Iran Sent Before UN Security Council

U.S. and European diplomats drafted
a resolution asking the United Nations Security Council to
confront Iran about its intention to enrich uranium.
The resolution asks the UN's International Atomic Energy
Agency to report Iran to the Security Council, according to a
four-page draft obtained by Bloomberg News. The 15-member council
should tell Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, it said.
Iran could leave the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, if it
faces ``the language of force,'' Agence France-Presse cited
Iran's nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, as saying in Tehran.
Calls to send Iran before the Security Council intensified
after talks with France, Germany and the U.K., representing the
European Union, collapsed last month. Iran broke IAEA seals on an
idled uranium conversion plant on Aug. 9. Iran says it needs
nuclear fuel to generate electricity. The U.S. says the Islamic
Republic wants to build an atomic bomb.
``I would like to see a united international community,''
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said yesterday when he
was asked whether referring the dispute to the UN Security
Council could split the 35-member IAEA board. The board usually
passes resolutions by consensus, rather than by votes, in an
effort to show unity. The last time the board of governors voted
was in 2003, when it sent North Korea's dossier to the Council.

No Guarantee

A Security Council referral isn't guaranteed in Iran's case.
Iran has been talking with IAEA board members including China,
India, Russia, South Africa and India to forestall a resolution.
As many as 14 developing countries, members of the non-
aligned movement, say they will oppose a Security Council
referral. The group doesn't want Iran's idled facilities to set a
precedent. Diplomats from the IAEA's board of governors are
meeting for a second day in Vienna to discuss Iran's nuclear
ambitions.
Iran's earlier suspension of enrichment was ``a voluntary
and non-legally binding confidence building measure and it should
not be interpreted in any way as inhibiting or restricting the
inalienable right of member states to develop atomic energy,''
said the non-aligned group's head, Malaysian Ambassador Rajmah
Hussain, on Aug. 11.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened a break
from his country's diplomatic efforts if countries try to take
away its ability to develop nuclear technology.
``If some try to impose their will on the Iranian people
through resort to a language of force and threat with Iran, we
will reconsider our entire approach to the nuclear issue,''
Ahmadinejad told the UN General Assembly on Sept. 14.

`Energetic Action'

The IAEA has been lobbying members to change the nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty to prevent members from withdrawing. The UN
Security Council should take ``energetic action'' against
countries like North Korea, which withdrew from the treaty in
2003, the agency's former chief spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said in
January.
``A country that withdraws is automatically a threat to
international peace and security,'' said Gwozdecky, who left the
IAEA last month to return to Canada's foreign ministry.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, drafted in 1968 and
ratified by Iran in 1970, is a point of contention between Iran
and the U.S. The treaty gives all signatories the legal right to
enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
Iran, with the world's second biggest oil reserves, has been
signing energy deals with IAEA board members. The Islamic
Republic is set to supply China with 10 million tons of liquefied
natural gas annually beginning in 2008, Iran's Oil Ministry said
July 6. It's also planning a $7.4 billion natural-gas pipeline to
India.

Oil Link

In Tehran today, Larijani made a clear link between oil
deals and support for Iran at the IAEA, AFP reported.
``Those countries that have economic transactions with Iran,
especially in the field of oil, have not defended Iran's right so
far,'' AFP cited Larijani as saying. ``Based on how much they
defend Iran's national right will facilitate their participation
in Iran's economic field.''
The Iranians' oil trade ``leads them to believe they've
become a supplier of choice in Asia,'' said former UN Deputy
Director General, Giandomenico Picco, who helped negotiate the
end to the Iraq-Iran war. Their reliance upon the West isn't as
important as what it was.''
The IAEA board is comprised of Algeria, Argentina,
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, France,
Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea,
Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal,
Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden,
Tunisia, U.K., U.S., Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.