Iran willing to talk on uranium enrichment

Mottaki maintained Iran’s line that it would not comply with the Security Council demand, saying the research-scale enrichment that Iran began in February was in exercise of its rights and will continue.

Iran has been conducting small-scale enrichment for what it says is research purposes, but it would require large-scale enrichment to fuel a nuclear reactor. Enrichment makes uranium suitable for reactor use but, taken to a high degree, it becomes a nuclear bomb.

The US and France have accused Iran of seeking enrichment as a part of a secret program to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge, saying its nuclear ambitions are confined to the generation of electricity.

‘‘The enrichment of uranium…is Iran’s right as defined as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,’’ Mottaki said. ‘‘One thing we can’t give up and that is the right of the Iranian nation…We can’t hold a dialogue with any country about giving up our rights,’’ Mottaki insisted. He added that Iran was prepared to talk to the international community about large-scale enrichment.

ALI AKBAR DAREINI