Iran, EU nuke talks end without result
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-03 19:30

The Russian plan — backed by most in the international community including the U.S. and the Europeans — is meant to deprive the Iranians of domestic control of all enrichment, easing fears that Iran might misuse the process for making nuclear weapons.

Iran restarted some enrichment activities last month, two years after voluntarily freezing the program during talks with the Europeans that unraveled late last year.

While the Security Council is waiting for the outcome of next week's board meeting to decide further action, its involvement reflects the level of concern surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions. Tehran insists it wants enrichment only to generate electricity and that it does not seek nuclear arms, but a growing number of nations share U.S. fears that that is not the case.

U.S. intelligence chief John Negroponte told lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday that the risk of Iran's acquiring nuclear arms and merging them with ballistic missile systems was "a reason for immediate concern."

Providing what he called secret details of those missile programs, Iranian opposition figure Alireza Jafarzadeh told the AP on Thursday that Iran had "significantly increased the production line" of its Shahab 3 missiles last year, and was now turning out 90 a year — more than four times its previous production rate.

The most advanced Shahab has a range of nearly 1,200 miles, he said. That is enough to target arch-foe Israel.

There was no independent confirmation of the information, which Jafarzadeh said he received from sources inside Iran.

Steinmeier urged the Iranians to reconsider its stance before Monday's board meeting takes a decision "so that we can return to the process of negotiations" instead of confrontation.

Solana said the nuclear impasse had reached "a very critical moment."

"We have expressed that very clearly to our friends," he added.