The same day, Israeli president Moshe Katsav responded by asking, “Why does Iran need rockets with the range of 3,000 kilometers?”

The announcement about the long-range missile came one day before Paris, Berlin, and London offered what they called a “last chance” for Tehran to avoid being referred to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions because its nuclear energy program does not meet the approval of Washington and its imperialist allies. On October 24, Tehran rejected the proposal.

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been “investigating” Iran’s nuclear program for more than two years. Washington charges that under the guise of building nuclear power plants, Tehran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran has countered that it needs to develop nuclear power to meet the country’s growing energy needs.

At its September 18 meeting the IAEA approved a resolution demanding that Iran “immediately” suspend all activities related to enrichment of uranium, including the manufacture or import of centrifuge components, the assembly and testing of centrifuges, and the production of feed material. Enrichment of uranium is necessary in the production of nuclear energy. The resolution said the IAEA would decide at its November 25 meeting what actions to take against Iran should Tehran fail to comply with the UN agency’s demand.

London, Paris, and Berlin have offered Iran access to civilian nuclear technology and trade deals in exchange for Tehran halting all uranium enrichment activities. The proposal also includes providing Iran with a light-water reactor and contracts to purchase nuclear fuel.

A number of government officials immediately called the offer unacceptable. “Any proposal which deprives Iran of its legitimate right to a fuel cycle is not acceptable,” said Hossein Mousavian, foreign policy chief of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, according to Reuters.

According to Reuters, Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said if Iran’s right to develop peaceful use of nuclear technology were guaranteed, Tehran would “present everything necessary to prove that Iran will not produce an atomic bomb. But we will not give up our rights.”

On October 24 Iran formally rejected the offer from the three European governments. It asked the three to come up with a “more balanced” proposal.

The Iranian government has explained a number of times that it has mines that produce uranium and is developing plants with the capacity to enrich it. The proposal to forego this step and import enriched uranium from abroad will make its nuclear power plants dependable on foreign governments and would be more costly. “We cannot rely on other countries to supply our nuclear fuel, as they can stop it any time due to political pressure,” said Khatami.

The U.S. government has expressed its displeasure with Paris, Berlin and London’s proposal, according to the Financial Times. “We haven’t bought on, signed on, or endorsed it,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. He also made clear Washington’s opposition to Iran having access to nuclear technology, peaceful or otherwise. “We fundamentally have concerns about Iran acquiring more nuclear technology and capability,” he said.

In October 2003, under intense pressure from Paris, Berlin, London, and Moscow, the Iranian government announced it would agree to demands of the IAEA to allow surprise inspections of its nuclear facilities and sign on to the “additional protocol” to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The NPT provides cover for the imperialist powers to have nuclear weapons but bars other nations from acquiring them. It subjects other governments, in semicolonial countries, in particular, to a range of requirements, including regular reports and inspections of their nuclear research and energy facilities. While the treaty supposedly guarantees the right of any nation that signs on to it to develop nuclear power for energy generation, the IAEA, the agency formed to oversee adherence to the NPT, has been increasingly used by imperialist powers since the 1991 war on Iraq to slow down or stop any states from developing nuclear energy altogether.

As a gesture of good will, the Iranian government voluntarily halted enrichment of uranium last year. In exchange, London, Paris, and Berlin promised to ease Tehran’s access to modern technology and to bloc Washington’s efforts to refer Iran’s case to the UN Security Council. Tehran restarted uranium enrichment this summer after the three European governments reneged on their promises.

In pressuring Tehran to agree to surprise inspections, European governments—particularly Paris and Berlin, which did not follow the U.S. lead in the war on Iraq—hoped to keep the U.S. rulers at bay. They differ with Washington on how best to advance their imperialist interests in the region vis-à-vis Iran. France, in particular, has substantial trade with and investments in Iran, including selling components to Tehran for its nuclear plants.
 
 
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