Iran warns upcoming talks may be West's 'last chance'
Islamic Republic's envoy to IAEA says once Teheran is able to make its own fuel for research reactor, it may not participate in future negotiations.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, ASSOCIATED PRESSSoltanieh 311(photo credit: AP)
Iran on Wednesday warned that upcoming talks with the P5 + 1 nations on the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program could be the West's "last chance," Reuters reported.Iranian envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said that once Iran develops the capability to make its own fuel for a medical research reactor, it may not take part in future talks in the event that the Istanbul talks with the US, China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and the European Union fail.RELATED:Ahmadinejad: Nuclear talks 'historic opportunity'WikiLeaks: Iranian hard-liners blocked nuclear deal"It might be the last chance because by installing fuel rods produced by Iran into the core of the Teheran Research Reactor, probably parliament will not allow the government to negotiate or send its uranium outside the country and the Istanbul meeting might be the last chance for the West to return to talks," Soltanieh said.The new round of negotiations is meant to explore whether there is common ground for more substantive talks on Iran's nuclear program. A round of talks in Geneva in December yielded no breakthrough.The UN Security Council has demanded that Iran freeze uranium enrichment — a process that can produce both fuel and fissile warhead material. But Iranian negotiators flatly ruled out discussing such demands at the Istanbul meeting, Western diplomats familiar with the talks said.Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
