WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Iran will not be brought before the U.N. Security Council for breaching its nuclear agreements. Western governments say they want to give Tehran more time to reach a compromise on its uranium enrichment program. Instead, the U.S. and the EU say they are ready to resume nuclear negotiations with the Islamic republic.
"We believe that at this point in time, we do have the votes for a referral to the Security Council. But... we are going to continue our diplomatic consultations with our EU-3 partners, as well as other members of the Board of Governors," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Monday.
U.S. and European officials want to give Tehran more time to consider a proposal that would allow Iran to use enriched uranium, which Iran has a legal right to, on the condition that the actual enrichment process would take place in Russia. The by-product from uranium enrichment can be used to make nuclear weapons.
This proposal would allow the Iranian government to proceed with a nuclear energy program, its professed reason for maintaining atomic facilities, but would decrease the chances that it could use the technology for weapons.
Iran initially was not interested in the deal, but the U.S. hopes that having Russia join the EU-3, a coalition of France, Britain, and Germany, in negotiations will convince Tehran to reconsider such a compromise.
"I think at this point we want to get them back to the negotiating table. We want to give them every opportunity to do so," said McCormack.
There has been discussion earlier in the month that the U.S. would seek approval to refer Iran to the Council for possible economic sanctions at the board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, on Thursday.
On Sunday the Iranian Parliament passed a bill vowing to prohibit U.N. inspectors from accessing atomic facilities if the referral goes through.
China and Russia, both voting members on the IAEA board, have indicated in the past that they would block referral of Iran to the Council, a move that requires unanimous support. This has some doubting whether the U.S. really could deliver the votes necessary to bring Iran before the Council.
"I think it's accurate that the U.S. has the votes, but it's unlikely that they will push for it," Washington Institute for Near East Police Iran expert Patrick Clawson told United Press International. "The Russians are actively engaged, and we have certain advantages to letting those negotiations play out."
Clawson explained that a successful deal would be good for everyone, but there is also an advantage if Iran refuses to give compromise an honest effort. If the negotiations fail, there is a greater chance of getting international support for action against the Iranian government.
"They'd like to see the effort succeed... but it's more likely that they will be unsuccessful, and if so there is an excellent prospect that Russia will be more willing to act against Iran, though not necessarily by referring it to the Security Council.
"I suspect we will know within a few months whether it is successful."
Adding more twists to the saga are claims by an Iranian opposition group that they have new evidence pointing to an active Iranian nuclear weapons program.
Iranian exile Alireza Jafarzadeh announced at an Iran Policy Committee press conference Monday that he had evidence from "reliable sources" within Iran of a system of underground tunnels containing equipment for missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
He claimed that the system is far more extensive and advanced than prior reports indicated, and also said the North Korean involvement in developing Iran's nuclear program is greater than previously thought.
The State Department has not reacted to these statements, and could not confirm the accuracy of the reports.
"There's been a very mixed record in terms of some of these groups in talking about so-called revelations about Iran's nuclear programs," said McCormack. "As for these specific reports, I can't speak to them."
"This organization's revelations have been occasionally accurate, well within the normal range for human intelligence sources," said Clawson, noting that the "normal range" is usually flawed. "It's the nature of the game.
"I think what it (the report) does is continue to add to U.S. suspicions that Iran would pursue a clandestine nuclear program even if in agreement not to. I think that suspicion is shared by almost everybody internationally."
