Iran warns of serious response if world powers go extreme


A top Iranian nuclear official has warned to give a "serious response" if the five permanent members of UN Security Council plus Germany adopt hardline approaches against the country's nuclear program, local daily "Tehran Times" reported on Wednesday.

"We prefer real negotiations, not artificial ones, to resolve the nuclear issue, if they take hardline course, they will get a serious response," Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani told a press conference.

Larijani also dismissed media reports that Iran had reduced its uranium enrichment activities, saying that "feeding the hexafluoride (UF6) gas into 3000 centrifuges at Natanz enrichment plant will be done on schedule."

The International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said in Vienna on Monday that it seemed Iran had casually suspended its enrichment work, but Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki denied the remarks Tuesday.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737 on Dec. 23, 2006, demanding Iran stop all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities including research and development, and work on all heavy water-related projects, in 60 days.

The five permanent members of UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. -- plus Germany have been discussing further measures against Tehran since Iran refused to heed the Security Council's demand to stop uranium enrichment by the deadline that fell on Feb. 21.

Source: Xinhua


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