Iran threatens US with 'harm and pain'
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-08 20:54

Austria, which holds the EU presidency, expressed regret at Iran's decisions to withhold "voluntary cooperation" from IAEA inspectors and resume uranium enrichment, which can be part of a process to make nuclear weapons.

The Austrian comments were made in a statement prepared for delivery on behalf of the European Union and nearly a dozen nonmember European nations.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remained defiant: "Our nation has made its decision to fully use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and all have to give in to this decision made by the Iranian nation," he said in Iran. "We have made our choice."

His comments 锟斤拷 and U.S. and Russian statements the day before rejecting any compromise that would allow Tehran to enrich uranium domestically 锟斤拷 set the stage for Security Council action once the IAEA board meeting hears a report on the latest investigations into Iran's nuclear program and debates the issue.

A senior Western diplomat familiar with the Security Council negotiations said Tuesday that permanent council members Britain and France already were preparing a statement "urging" Iran to re-impose a freeze on all enrichment.

The diplomat, who requested anonymity in exchange for discussing strategy on Iran, said the statement also would call on Iran to fully cooperate with IAEA inspectors trying to establish whether the country had ever tried to make such weapons 锟斤拷 all requests made earlier by the board.

Still, stronger action may elude the council. Russia and China, which have Security Council vetoes, may use them to foil any resolution in that chamber that would meaningfully increase pressure on Iran, their political and economic ally.

Russia has been at the forefront of the Iranian nuclear talks over the past few months with a proposal to host Iran's uranium enrichment program. The United States and the European Union back the idea, but Iran has demanded the right to conduct small-scale uranium enrichment at home.