Iran seems intent of defying the west WRT its nuclear program. I'm surprised I didn't see this mentioned here on Kos because it's one of the top stories at
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From the NYT's article
Atomic Activity Resumes in Iran Amid Warnings
By NAZILA FATHI and JOEL BRINKLEY
Published: August 9, 2005
TEHRAN, Aug. 8 - Iran resumed sensitive nuclear activities at one of its facilities on Monday, despite warnings from European negotiators that the move would prompt them to refer the case to the United Nations Security Council for punitive action.
With surveillance cameras from the International Atomic Energy Agency installed, Iranian technicians at a facility outside Isfahan resumed the intricate process of converting uranium that Iran says is intended to yield energy but that the West worries is a precursor to the development of nuclear weapons.
The United States and its European allies reacted with dismay to the renewed activity, and left little doubt that they would take Iran to the Security Council with a recommendation for economic sanctions if Iran does not back down.
The State Department even held out the possibility that the United States might deny a visa to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was sworn in Saturday as Iran's president, to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month.
Iran has long contended that it has the legal right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to convert and enrich uranium for peaceful energy purposes, but agreed to suspend its activities as long as negotiations lasted with Britain, France and Germany over its nuclear program. Iran has admitted to deceiving inspectors for 17 years about many of its activities, and the United States argues that those deceptions effectively negate its right to a full nuclear program and that they provide a basis for international sanctions.
Concerned that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, European negotiators put forward a proposal last week - with the support of the United States - to provide Iran with economic, technological, security and political incentives if it permanently abandoned its conversion and enrichment activities.
But Iran rejected the proposal, saying the offer failed to meet its "minimum expectations." Even before rebuffing the offer, Iran had asked the agency to set up cameras at the facility so that it could resume its nuclear program under international inspection, as the nonproliferation treaty requires.
Mohammad Saidi, vice president of Iran's Atomic Organization, who was at the facility near Isfahan on Monday, said that Iran would like to continue negotiating with Europe and that it intended to keep its freeze on nuclear enrichment.
Yet the facility began an earlier stage of the process, known as conversion, the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, reported. Converting uranium can lead to energy production or, ultimately, nuclear weapons.
The article goes on to say that France, Germany and, of course, the United States, are all extremely unhappy with this development. If it goes to the UN, I wonder how badly Bolton will fuck it up?