04.12.2009

Iran defiantly refuses to abide to latest IAEA resolution

On November 27, 2009, the IAEA’s Board of Governors issued a resolution against Iran calling for it to cease enriching uranium. On December 2 the Islamic Republic defiantly rejected the resolution, reacting angrily to calls that it put an immediate halt to its nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the resolution was passed "with insistence and political ambitions of certain members states.! [1] The only countries to vote against the resolution were Cuba, Venezuela and Malaysia. [2]
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the IAEA resolution as "illegal". Ahmadinejad further announced that the Islamic Republic would enrich high-enriched uranium (HEU) itself, overruling the IAEA’s latest resolution. [3] He also said that Israel could not do a "damn thing" to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons development program. [4]

Ahmadinejad’s announcement comes after a uranium exchange deal that has been agreed upon during talks in Geneva in September 2009, in which Iran was supposed to ship 75 percent of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia and France for further enrichment in order to be then converted into fuel for Iran’s nuclear medicine program. [5] Teheran has since retreated from the deal and president Ahmadinejad has been publicly outspoken about his ambitions: "By the grace of God, the Iranian nation will produce 20 percent enriched uranium and anything it needs (itself)." [6]

The resolution is specifically aimed at Iran’s once secret nuclear facility near the city of Qom and demands that Iran freezes the project immediately. The resolution is the first against Tehran in almost four years. [7] The resolution contains a strong call on Tehran to implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, as well as providing the international community with necessary transparency needed to prove the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. [8]

Quick Timeline: Iran’s non-compliance

Iran's non-compliance with demands from the international community has intensified since the latest resolution was issued by the IAEA.

• In July 2006, the IAEA adopted Resolution 1696, which demands that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment. [9] The resolution offered Iran one month (from July 31 to August 31, 2006) to stop its uranium enrichment program and all other "research and development" activities or face the threat of sanctions. [10] Iran, however, failed to respond in a satisfactory way to this resolution. [11]

• Iran's failure to comply with the IAEA’s demands of the previous resolution, the UN Security Council in December 2006 issued Resolution 1737. [12] The resolution placed economic sanctions on Iran and prohibited UN member states from supplying Iran with materials or technology that might be used for Iran’s nuclear weapons development program. [13]

• In March 2007 the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1747. [14] Iran reacted with defiance, government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said: "We don’t welcome (UN) to adopt another resolution, but there’s no need to worry. […] Suspension is completely impossible and cannot be brought up, they have already given up this; in this respect, sanction is not new and will have no effect on people’s progress." [15]
  

• In March 2008 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1803 due to Iran’s refusal to suspend uranium enrichment and heavy-water-related projects. [16]