Vol. 73/No. 46      November 30, 2009

Washington and the imperialist powers in Europe have demanded Tehran cease enriching uranium, charging it is doing so to build an atomic bomb. Tehran denies this, saying it will use the uranium as fuel for peaceful nuclear energy purposes.

Negotiators for the Iranian government met in Geneva in October with representatives of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, China, and the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran was presented with a demand that it ship about 70 percent of its enriched uranium to Russia and France for further enrichment and processing. The remaining 30 percent of the uranium Iran would have on hand would not be enough to make a nuclear bomb.

On November 12, with a month having passed without Tehran accepting the Geneva proposal, Obama signed an order renewing U.S. sanctions against Iran for another year. The same day the U.S. government filed a federal complaint in preparation for seizing the land where mosques in four U.S. states are located and the 36-story Piaget Building in New York City, all of which are owned by the Alavi Foundation. Washington accuses the foundation of having financial dealings with Tehran.

Condemning both moves, Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, said, "After a year of empty speeches and slogans, the behavior and conduct of this president in practice is no better than the actions of his predecessor." Larijani rejected the idea of enriching Iran's uranium in another country, calling the proposal "unimportant" and "irrational."

When Obama was elected, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent him a letter of congratulations. It was the first such letter sent by an Iranian head of state to a U.S. president since Washington broke relations with Tehran in 1980. Obama, promising to open a dialogue, then sent video greetings in March to the Iranian people on the occasion of their New Year, which were broadcast on Iran's state-run media.

But in a speech in Istanbul November 10 Ahmadinejad declared Obama now had to choose between Israel and Iran. "The support of both Israel and Iran can't go hand in hand," he said.

The most powerful political figure in Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said earlier in November that when Obama was elected "the Islamic Republic of Iran decided … not to prejudge and to instead consider the slogan of 'change.' But what we have witnessed in practice during this period of time has been in contradiction" to Obama's promises, Iran's Press TV reported.

In another development, Tehran announced November 9 that three U.S. citizens arrested in Iran in July when they crossed the border from Iraq have been charged with espionage. The death penalty can be applied in cases of espionage. Families of the three said they were hiking and crossed the border by accident.  
 
Debate in Iran
Inside Iran debate continues over what kind of relationship to seek with Washington and other imperialist powers. At Tehran University Friday prayers November 13, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said, "The flag of the struggle against America should always stay hoisted."

Fars News Agency quoted Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, saying, "Iran is not to give any of its 1,200 kilograms of fuel to the other party."

Iranian armed forces chief of staff Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, on the other hand, argued, "We won't suffer from an exchange of fuel," reported Mehr News. He sits on Iran's National Security Council.

The IAEA has now made a new proposal, that Tehran ship its uranium to Turkey for about 15 months, while Russia produces more enriched uranium to fuel a reactor in Tehran. An aide to Ahmadinejad said November 14 the president had made no decision yet.

With Russian president Dimitry Medvedev at his side during a November 15 news conference in Singapore during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Obama declared, "We are now running out of time." He said, "Iran appears to have been unable to say yes to what everyone acknowledges is a creative and constructive approach." Medvedev added that while he still hopes Tehran decides to send its uranium to Russia for enrichment, "other options remain on the table," a reference to his earlier statement supporting more sanctions against Iran.

Ahmadinejad's response came the next day, when he told the Iranian parliament, "Iran is a great world power whose strength is unlimited and on whom no other state would dare impose sanctions."

In a further signal to Iran to retreat, Sergei Shmatko, Russia's energy minister, announced November 16 that the nuclear plant being built with Russian aid in the southern Iranian city of Bushehr will not open this year, as had been planned. Completion of the plant, slated for 1999 originally, has been repeatedly postponed by Moscow as part of pressuring Tehran on its nuclear program.
 
 
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