Interview with Iran’s Representative to IAEA

Iran has formally informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its plans to produce 20 percent enriched uranium for its Tehran research reactor that produces medical isotopes. The 20 percent enrichment will be done under the supervision of inspectors and observers from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Western officials accuse Iran of failing to respond to a UN-backed offer to transfer the bulk of its low-enriched uranium abroad in exchange for 20 percent enriched uranium. Iran has said it wants to conduct the fuel exchange on its own soil and determine the amount according to its fuel needs. The West rejects this and even threatens to impose sanctions on Iran. So where does this leave the West, after Iran has given them the option which they failed to take up? Furthermore, what will this mean for the Islamic Republic?

The following is Press TV's exclusive interview with Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, on February 8.

Press TV: Iran's formal announcement of enriching 20-percent uranium; great news for Iran. Can you give us more details?

Dr. Soltanieh: Yes, upon instruction of my government today, officially, I reflected to the agency the intention of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to start its nuclear enrichment activities of uranium up to 20%, I repeat up to 20%, in order to produce the required fuel for Tehran research reactor. This has been already officially delivered about 12 o'clock today Vienna time to the agency and then also in the evening. We received the acknowledgment of the letter and also in the letter I have invited the agency inspectors to be present as of tomorrow during this whole process, to show utmost transparency in our cooperation with the IAEA; then also in the acknowledgement letter this evening the agency informed us that the inspectors will be present and supervising the whole activity.

Press TV: If this capability was within Iran's ability, why did it leave the option open for the West?

Dr. Soltanieh: Well, in fact, as you correctly said, we have in fact this capability, technological capability, because this is a fact that Iran has mastered the enriching technology but the government of Islamic Republic of Iran decided to open a window of opportunity for the others in order to enter into a new avenue, rather than confrontation, to come to cooperation, and while we receive the fuel for our research reactor within the framework of the IAEA the technical cooperation among member states will be enhanced.

Unfortunately, we waited so long, roughly about nine months, since I sent a letter to former [IAEA] director general, asking the agency to facilitate for this exchange of the fuel and receiving of the fuel. In fact, by coincidence, I am the same one that over 20 years ago, as ambassador to the IAEA at that time, wrote a letter to Director General Hans Blix, requesting the fuel for Tehran reactor and we finally had an agreement through the IAEA by Argentina we got the fuel and we paid for it. This time unfortunately, the potential suppliers put a condition. It means not only they wanted to receive the money but they wanted to receive the material which we have produced in Natanz. Now, again this was a test of the political will of parties concerned. During the negotiation, which was held 19th to 21st of October, and I had the honor to be in charge of the delegation and the negotiator, we in fact tried to show utmost flexibility. Therefore, we accepted and agreed to send the required material for the fuel outside. The only thing is, because of the past confidence deficit, we insisted on the modality which will give the guarantee that we will receive the fuel at the end of the day, and this was the best logical, technically-sound proposal that Iran made during that negotiation.

I have to remind you that after I wrote a letter to the director general and asked him to send to potential suppliers, the director general at the time Mr. Baradei only sent the letter of course to Russia and the US and they gave us a non-paper. In that non-paper, they gave this proposal that they wanted 1,200 kilograms to be sent to Russia for further enrichment and then further on, of course, France joined it in order to do fuel fabrication. That was, in fact the proposal of those countries. But, by mistake, during the last four months, in the media you have noticed that they are explaining that that was the Geneva proposal and those three countries accepted and Iran has not accepted that proposal. This is absolutely wrong, because that was the proposal of those three countries in fact. Therefore there was no surprise that they agreed with their own proposal. But our proposal was also on the table, which was very important as I explained to you: simultaneous exchange of LEU (low-enriched uranium) produced in Iran with the fuel which will be going to be produced outside. Simultaneous exchanges swap in Iran. It is that we are ready to show compromise to send the material out although we were not obliged to do so and get the fuel. Therefore the common denominator between these two proposals was that the material, the required material, the equivalent material, could be sent out. They should have welcomed this opportunity, but for the last eight months [or] more roughly close to nine months we have been desperately waiting and we tried not to in fact further elaborate for the media. We tried to let the diplomacy work. But, unfortunately, we have been disappointed that until now today there was no response to our proposal.

Press TV: Looking at international reactions; France's Bernard Kouchner has said Iran is exaggerating its claim. Russia is insistent that Iran accepts the Geneva deal.

Dr. Soltanieh: Well, first of all, this is again a mistake that everybody refers to Geneva. We have to talk about Vienna negotiation. This has nothing to do with Geneva. This issue is related to the IAEA and this has nothing to do with the Geneva talks of 5+1 negotiation.

The second point is, this is a pity that after all concessions that we have made and bearing in mind that on different occasions we tried to inform, in fact, the countries concerned, that we are still ready to sit down in negotiation and also make an agreement, but there was no response.

Now, I have to, in fact, through you and your distinguished viewers that I had my first official meeting with the new director general, Mr. Amano, after he took office on the fifth of January and during the discussion, while I was reviewing the whole activities of the agency and also particularly the Iran issue, I also touched upon the issue of Tehran research reactor fuel and I informed him what happened during the negotiation [of] 19th to 21st of October, since at that time Mr. Amano was not in charge, and then at that meeting I officially informed Mr. Amano that our proposal was still on the table. It means that in spite of the fact that inside Iran there are many legitimate, in fact, criticisms or expectations that what is the justification for that rather than giving money and taking the fuel, we are requested to give the fuel, I mean the material, but we informed that as a matter of principle we want to show our full cooperation, therefore we are still ready and therefore our proposal was still on the table.

Mr. Amano then was requested in that meeting or in fact he asked me whether he could reflect to [the] other three countries, I said yes, but it was decided that we will not go to media, and let diplomacy work. Therefore, all three countries were officially informed by the director general that Iran's proposal is still on the table.

Then last week, we had a meeting of Non-Aligned Movement ambassadors, it is after a month passing that meeting with Mr. Amano, I informed all the ambassadors that as of fifth of February that proposal is still on the table. It means we are still ready for the simultaneous exchange of material and the fuel as a great concession. But since, until today, we have not received any sort of response, then we had no choice [but] to make sure that our people desperately needed this fuel, I mean, the radioisotopes, where in fact 850,000 people are in need of radioisotopes, we should continue to produce the radioisotopes, therefore time is of the essence and we have to do something to produce the fuel on our own.

Press TV: What if the Western countries want to be involved after Iran takes steps towards 20% enrichment? Is the door closed to them completely? Dr. Salehi said the fuel would be produced at Iran's Natanz enrichment facility but left the door open to a compromise.

Dr. Soltanieh: Your answer is simply no. The window of opportunity is still open. They have to, in fact, prove their political will that they want to change the gear from confrontation to cooperation. One important thing I forgot to inform you, which is very important and I want your distinguished viewers and also your very distinguished guest to be aware of is that in spite of the fact that this material is of course under the seals of the IAEA, but I announced to Director General Mr. Amano that we are ready that if an agreement is made, and the others come to the negotiating table, we are ready to separate the required material for exchange. We are going to separate it from Natanz existing container and put in a separate container under the seals of the IAEA and under the custody of the IAEA in Iran.

It means that we are not going to use it for any other purpose and it will stay in Iran until the fuel is ready for the swap and simultaneous exchange. This is also an important point showing that we were trying to find a way, in fact a solution, a peaceful solution to the whole issue. Unfortunately, this great concession was also ignored. The last but not the least is also, since it was said by the other parties that they want this material to be, as soon as possible, out we said we are also flexible as soon as the fuel is ready, we are ready to send this material simultaneously out. Therefore, we do not want to keep it indefinitely in Iran. Having said so, all these compromises, unfortunately, have sort of been ignored.

One thing I have to add [is that] the radioisotopes have usually short half-life because of the radioactive nature of them. Therefore, we have to produce it in Iran in order to distribute [them] in a great country which is a large area and therefore before they are dead we have to give [them] to different hospitals.

Therefore, if this reactor will not be able to produce, though we will be able to bring them from outside. Remember, when I was director of the center for producing all these radioisotopes roughly about 20 years ago, on many occasions, by the time we got the radioisotopes in Tehran from Europe, they were already dead and the long queue of the patients were disappointed.

Therefore, this issue is a humanitarian issue and we have to pay attention to it.