Iran Backpedals On Nuclear Deal
After agreeing initially, Iran is backing away from its commitment to the nuclear deal that would turn its low-grade uranium into reactor fuel for medical isotopes. But Iran is unable to make the reactor fuel itself, which may be why the U.S. and Europe are willing to give Iran's leaders some time to contemplate their problem.
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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Im Renee Montagne.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
And Im Steve Inskeep. Good morning. After what seemed like a promising start, international talks on Irans uranium stockpile have come to a halt. At the beginning of October, Iran agreed in principal to ship most of its low-grade enriched uranium to Russia and France for processing into nuclear fuel. That fuel was to be sent back to Iran for use in a reactor that produces medical isotopes. So it was a medical use.
Since then, though, Irans government has been backpedaling on this deal. The U.S. and Europe have been patient, though, perhaps because Iran cannot acquire that reactor fuel without their help. NPR Newss Mike Shuster reports.
MIKE SHUSTER: The crucial meeting where the deal was set was in Geneva on October 1st. Irans top nuclear negotiator was there, along with European, Russian and Chinese diplomats. The U.S. was represented by an undersecretary of state.
The problem facing the Iranians is their research reactor in Tehran, which produces isotopes used to treat cancer and is running out of fuel. So they agreed to an American proposal to ship more than a ton of their low-enriched uranium to Russia and France to be turned into more reactor fuel. As a benefit for the U.S. and its allies, doing this would remove most of Irans current enriched uranium stockpile as a possible route to acquiring a nuclear weapon.
More meetings followed in Vienna, but, says Abbas Milani, director of Iran Studies at Stanford University, hardliners in Tehran have steadily chipped away at support for the deal.
Dr. ABBAS MILANI (Iran studies, Stanford University): I think the Iranian regime is beginning serious backtracking and rethinking the agreements that they seem to have agreed to in Geneva.
SHUSTER: In the role of intermediary has been the International Atomic Energy Agency. Its director, Mohamed ElBaradei, met with both President Obama and Iranian President Mahmoud�Ahmadinejad. Last week in a speech at the U.N., ElBaradei appealed to Iran to make good on its commitment to remove suspicions about its nuclear program.
Dr. MOHAMED ELBARADEI (Director, International Atomic Energy Agency): This is a unique and fleeting opportunity to reverse course from confrontation to cooperation, and should therefore not be missed.
SHUSTER: Right now, though, Tehran appears to be resisting all the international pleas. So why did Iran agree to the deal in the first place?
Professor MUHAMMAD SAHIMI (University of Southern California; Writer, Tehran Bureau): They don't want to be under pressure both externally and internally.
SHUSTER: Muhammad Sahimi is a professor at the University of Southern California and writes for the Web site Tehran Bureau. He notes that Irans government has been under sharp political pressure internally since the disputed presidential election in June spawned an enormous and very determined opposition movement.
At the same time, the international pressure over its nuclear program was threatening to bring about more economic sanctions. Dealing with both challenges simultaneously may be too much for Irans embattled leaders.
To make matters worse for Irans government, it faces a technical problem it may not be able to overcome on its own. Although Iran does have a considerable amount of low-enriched uranium, Muhammad Sahimi points out it does not have the capability to turn it into fuel rods for the Tehran research reactor.
Prof. SAHIMI: Iran is not known to have any technology right now available in Iran that can produce the fuel rods.
SHUSTER: So Iran can delay or stall all it wants, but that simply gets them closer to the day when it will run out of the capacity to produce medical isotopes. This may be why Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Berlin earlier this week seemed so patient with Iran.
Secretary HILLARY CLINTON (Department of State): We believe that this offer represents an important opportunity for Iran both to meet the medical and humanitarian needs that the Tehran research reactor fulfills and to begin to restore international confidence in their nuclear program.
SHUSTER: The U.S., Europe and Russia all appear to be willing to wait a little while longer, which may not be a weakness in this case, because, says Abbas Milani, the degree of confusion and disarray among Irans leaders is unprecedented.
Dr. MILANI: They used to be much better at all of this. They used to be able to play this game, I think, much better. If you look at their behavior in the last two months, its just bizarre.
SHUSTER: If the Iranians don't end the stall, they may find themselves facing both harsher treatment internationally and without the medical isotopes they need.
Mike Shuster, NPR News.
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