NCRI

A Senior Iranian nuclear official: Suspension is definitely not on Iran’s agenda

Reuters, TEHRAN – A senior Iranian nuclear official said on Monday that suspending uranium enrichment, as demanded by six world powers in return for incentives, was not on Iran’s agenda, Iran’s student news agency ISNA reported.

Ali Hosseinitash made the comments two days before a meeting between Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana to discuss the package.

Iranian officials have previously insisted Iran would not suspend the sensitive atomic work and Hosseinitash’s comments suggest a breakthrough is unlikely.

"Suspension is definitely not on Iran’s agenda," Hosseinitash, head of strategic affairs at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was quoted as saying.

"Iran does not see the issue of suspension as the core idea in solving the case," he added.

In Washington, White House spokesman Tony Snow said U.S. officials were awaiting the results of Solana’s meeting with Larijani.

"What we’ve said all along is the proper channel for conveying the position of the Iranian government is through Ali Larijani to Javier Solana. The two of them obviously are supposed to meet on the 5th, we’ll see what happens then," Snow said.

The Group of Eight industrialized nations told Iran last week they wanted a "clear and substantive response" on July 5 to the offer. Iranian officials declared more time was needed. Iran had said it would reply by August 22.

"We do not intend to answer (at the July 5 meeting) and our counterparts do not expect an answer either," Hosseinitash said.

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