Iran vowed on Tuesday, ahead of key talks with three European powers, to press ahead with its nuclear fuel programme despite US fears it may be planning to develop bombs. "The people and government of Iran are determined to open their way through the tortuous path of the peaceful use of nuclear technology despite all the imposed restrictions and difficulties," Mohammad Saeedi told a nuclear energy conference.
Saeedi, vice president of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, spoke a day before officials from Iran, France, Britain and Germany meet in Paris to review three months of talks on Tehran's atomic plans that ended in a stand-off.
The European Union's "big three", sharing US suspicions that Tehran may be planning to develop nuclear arms, are offering Iran political and economic incentives to give up its uranium enrichment programme.
EU diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they did not expect Iran to back down and the EU too was in no position to compromise because the United States has recently backed its position.
"The best that can come out of this meeting is an agreement to keep talking," said a diplomat close to the talks.
Saeedi said Iran was determined to pursue a complete nuclear programme to meet rising energy demand caused by an increase in living standards in the Islamic republic.
He said this programme would include "the provision of nuclear fuel" and the completion of a heavy-water research reactor that would be able to produce substantial amounts of bomb-grade plutonium.
Saeedi said Iran intended to produce only low-grade enriched uranium fuel for peaceful power plants, not highly enriched fuel for weapons.
Hossein Mousavian, a senior nuclear negotiator, told Iranian state radio Tehran would consider ending the talks with the EU trio if Wednesday's review decided no progress had been made.
"If the committee's report shows that there has been tangible and specific progress in the talks with the EU3, then we will continue it for three more months.
"But if the report shows the other party has been wasting time, we will reconsider the process of talks with the Europeans," he said.
The Iranians have refused to give up their enrichment programme, and have offered instead to permit increased inspections by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency and to limit the enrichment to very low levels.
The Europeans reject this and want the programme stopped and dismantled - a position strengthened by the official backing of the United States for the offer of incentives if Iran will end uranium enrichment.
"We both have our entrenched positions," said a Western diplomat close to the talks. "With the Americans on board, the EU three couldn't move if they wanted to."
Iran has suspended its uranium enrichment programme as a confidence-building gesture but has repeatedly said this freeze will be short-lived.
The Western diplomat said the IAEA had been able to verify that the enrichment programme remained fully suspended.
"The agency confirmed that everything is suspended on the ground. But it could be the calm before the storm," the diplomat said, referring to European fears that the Iranians may restart parts of their enrichment programme as a provocation.
The EU has said that if Iran resumes enrichment work it will support a US plan to refer Tehran's case to the UN Security Council, which could impose painful economic sanctions.
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