Tehran – Iran claimed vindication Tuesday after the U.N. nuclear agency concluded that traces of highly enriched uranium found on centrifuge parts entered this country on imported equipment and did not result from Iranian enrichment activities.
Hundreds of Iranian students, meanwhile, rallied outside the British, French and German embassies to protest the European call for Iran to permanently freeze uranium enrichment.
In Paris, the Foreign Ministry said those three countries would not hold nuclear talks with Iran on Aug. 31 because of Tehran’s decision to resume operations at a uranium conversion plant.
The findings by the International Atomic Energy Agency supported Iran’s contention that traces of enriched uranium entered the country along with centrifuge parts it bought from Pakistan.
The discovery of the traces in Iran had been cited by the United States to support its claim that Tehran has experimented with the production of highly enriched uranium, which is used only in nuclear weapons.
The traces were found two years ago on centrifuges at the uranium enrichment plant in the central Iranian city of Natanz and at the Kalaye Electric site, west of Tehran, raising questions about the motives behind Iran’s nuclear activities.
Washington contends Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to secretly develop atomic weapons in violation of its commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Tehran denies that, saying its nuclear program is designed only to generate electricity.
Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the IAEA findings vindicated Iran.
“Given the fact that Iran has been cleared of the accusations and that its statements have been approved, there is no justification for Western countries not to trust Iran,” he said.
About 500 students demonstrated at the British, French and German embassies. They chanted “stopping uranium conversion is treason” and “uranium enrichment has to begin in Natanz.”
The students accused the three nations of being “puppets in the hands of America,” and some demonstrators burned U.S. and Israeli flags.
Britain, Germany and France, which have negotiated with Iran on behalf of the 25-member European Union, have tried to persuade Iran to permanently freeze its uranium enrichment program in return for aid.
