Iranian Uranium Enrichment Program May Resume by Fall

A personal representative of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that Iran’s suspension of its uranium enrichment program would probably end before October, the Financial Times reported today (see GSN, Feb. 17).

Last year, Iran agreed during negotiations with three European countries to suspend its uranium enrichment program, and Iranian officials now believe that the suspension “can last no longer than September,” said Khamenei representative Hussein Shariatmadari.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi reiterated yesterday that Iran is capable of exporting enriched uranium abroad for use as nuclear reactor fuel, according to the Times.

On Sunday, Kharazi said Iran had made “an important achievement” in acquiring technology needed to enrich uranium for peaceful uses. Kharazi said yesterday that his comments were in reaction to a major nuclear nonproliferation speech given recently by U.S. President George W. Bush.

“This is our legitimate right and my remark was a reaction to the recent speech by George W. Bush saying only specific countries have the right to produce nuclear technology,” Kharazi said (Gareth Smyth, Financial Times, Feb. 18).

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