Iran parliament warns against foreign pressure

[September 29, 2009]  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian lawmakers warned the U.S. and other world powers on Tuesday against further pressures over Tehran's disputed nuclear program just days ahead of a key international meeting.

On Thursday the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, as well as Germany, will meet with Iran in Geneva over the direction of its nuclear program, especially in the wake of the announcement of a previously unknown uranium enrichment facility.

Iran conducted three rounds of missile tests in drills that began Sunday, two days after the U.S. and its allies disclosed the country had been secretly developing an underground uranium enrichment facility.

The Western powers warned Iran must open the site to international inspection or face harsher international sanctions.

Iran's Foreign Ministry maintained the missile tests had nothing to do with the tension over the site, saying they were part of routine, long-planned military exercises, an assertion rejected by the United States and its European allies.

Iran's parliament lashed out at the criticism but did not elaborate on what action would be taken if the pressure continued.

"If the 5+1 repeats the past mistakes, the parliament will put other decisions on agenda," lawmakers said in a statement, referring to the five members of the Security Council and Germany.

Parliament's warning could refer to a bill awaiting ratification in parliament that calls on the government to speed up its uranium enrichment activities.

Uranium processing is a key aspect of any nuclear power program as the mineral needs to be enriched to fuel a nuclear reactor producing electricity -- or to be turned into bomb-making material.

The West fears the program may be geared toward producing weapons, a charge Iran denies.

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy organization Ali Akbar Salehi said late Monday that the U.N. nuclear watchdog will soon be told when it can conduct inspections of the newly revealed facility.

The facility is still 18 months from completion, according to Iran, and will only process uranium for energy purposes.

The Obama administration is planning to push for new sanctions against Iran, targeting its energy, financial and telecommunications sectors if it does not comply with international demands to come clean about its nuclear program, according to U.S. officials.

The officials said the U.S. would expand its own penalties against Iranian companies and press for greater international sanctions against foreign firms, largely European, that do business in the country unless Iran can prove that its nuclear activities are not aimed at developing an atomic weapon.

Diplomats from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- as well as Germany meet with Iran's top nuclear negotiator on Thursday to press once again an offer of incentives for Iran to halt suspect activity.

But U.S. officials familiar with the process that dates back to the Bush administration are skeptical that Iran will agree to demands to fully disclose its intentions.

Previous meetings -- the last in July 2008 -- have not made progress, and the officials said they did not think Thursday's talks in Geneva would produce any significant developments on the nuclear front.

[Associated Press; By NASSER KARIMI]

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