Iran not to talk nuclear if sanctioned

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Tehran will not continue to sit down with the West to talk over its nuclear work if new sanctions against Tehran are adopted.

“If the US and its allies think they could hold the stick of sanctions and then sit and negotiate with us, they are seriously mistaken,” President Ahmadinejad said at a news conference in Turkey on Tuesday.

Ahmadinejad was referring to the US dual-track strategy regarding Iran’s nuclear work, which combines diplomacy with punitive measures.

In line with such policy, the US has been intensifying efforts to convince other UN Security Council (UNSC) members to join its campaign for imposing a new round of sanctions against Iran under the allegation that Tehran is pursuing a military nuclear program.

Washington said last month that the six major powers discussing Iran’s nuclear work had reached an agreement on a strong draft against Iran, which calls on the Islamic Republic to suspend its uranium enrichment activities or face further UNSC sanctions.

This was shortly after Iran issued a declaration with Turkey and Brazil on May 17 based on which Tehran announced its readiness to send some 1,200 kg of low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for a total of 120 kg of higher enriched uranium.

The declaration came as part of an earlier plan to supply fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Despite Iran’s approval to ship out its uranium — a prior demand by the Western side which Iran had rejected due to guarantee concerns — the US reacted with cynicism to the declaration, saying that it had certain “shortcomings.”

Tehran says it sees the declaration as a confidence-building measure that provides an opportunity for cooperation between Iran and the West.

President Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that the West should grasp the opportunity as it may not happen again.

“The Tehran declaration provided an opportunity for the US government and its allies. We had hoped and we are still hopeful that they use the opportunity well,” he said. “I must say opportunities like this will not be repeated again.”