Iran has said that it will continue enriching uranium, defying all efforts by major powers to pressure it into stopping such work. Last weekend, Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, presented Tehran with a package of economic incentives to persuade it to stop its nuclear program. "We have repeatedly said that enrichment is our red line and we should enjoy this technology. The work will be continued," deputy foreign minister Alireza Sheikhattar was quoted as saying by the state news agency, IRNA.
After holding talks in Tehran Solana said that Iran should stop enrichment during negotiations on the offer, a condition Tehran has repeatedly rejected. The incentive package agreed by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany last month and delivered by Solana is a revised version of one rejected by Iran in 2006. Western powers have warned Iran it will face more sanctions if it rejects the offer and continues with its nuclear work. So far Iran has shown no sign of flexibility. Sheikhattar said Iran was reviewing the incentives package. "We will give our answer as soon as possible. But we do not know exactly when it will be," he said.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers have agreed on the need to tougher sanctions on Iran, possibly targeting the oil and gas sectors. The EU also wants to freeze assets of Iran’s largest financial institution, Bank Melli, Britain's prime minister Gordon Brown announced in London on Monday. The United States last year accused the bank of providing services to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Iran has reportedly withdrawn around US$ 75 billion from European accounts to prevent the assets from being blocked. The Iranian deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying: "Part of Iran's assets in European banks have been converted to gold and shares and another part has been transferred to Asian banks."
Read about the WJC's campaign to Stop the Iranian Threat
