Iran's FM Manouchehr Mottaki at the 12th session of the Developing-8 Council of Ministers Meeting in Malaysia, Nov. 2, 2009. Iran said it wants a technical panel to review a UN-backed plan to send most of its uranium to Russia for enrichment.
AP Photo

"A Middle Way, Best Solution to Nuclear Crisis"

Op-Ed, Iran Review

November 1, 2009

Author: Kayhan Barzegar, Research Fellow, Project on Managing the Atom/International Security Program

Belfer Center Programs or Projects: International Security; Managing the Atom; Science, Technology, and Public Policy

"Explaining about a draft agreement on nuclear fuel for Tehran research reactor, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki has noted, "The two sides decided to go through the draft. It has been done in Vienna and Iran will soon declare its viewpoint." At the same time, some officials have already voiced their opposition to the recent nuclear agreement.

The main point evident in all those opposite remarks is lack of trust. Iran still distrusts the West and maintains that Western countries are trying to deprive it of its right to enrich uranium in the long run. Therefore, Tehran maintains that it should take a multilateral strategic approach to this issue.

In fact, they say, it is part of a US strategy to take all enriched uranium away from Iran and then raise expectations from Tehran in the next phase. It seems that their main concern is those expectations, which may finally bring the enrichment process, which has been a fixed policy of Iran, to a complete halt. This would cost dearly for those politicians who had insisted on enrichment in Iran, especially President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Therefore, if the negotiations fail to reach a clear result, it could be quite disconcerting...."

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