Iran said on Thursday it will resume sensitive uranium-conversion work within one or two days, defying warnings from the international community over its nuclear programme.
Hossein Moussavian, spokesperson for the nuclear negotiating team, told state television that activities will begin when inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrive at the conversion plant of Isfahan.
”If the Europeans call an extraordinary meeting [of the IAEA’s board of governors], that will be a violation of all international rules and they should not expect us to maintain the freeze on our activities at the Natanz enrichment plant,” he said.
Iran agreed in November to suspend its enrichment and conversion work — part of the nuclear fuel cycle — while negotiations with the Europeans were going on.
But in recent days it threatened to resume conversion work, triggering warnings from the Europeans that they would halt negotiations and may refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions. — Sapa-AFP