Iran nuclear suspension deadline nears
The refusal to suspend the enrichment of uranium could lead to more sanctions against Iran
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Saturday, 02, Aug 2008 07:57
A deadline set by the United Nations security council to urge Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment programme is set to expire this weekend.
Three rounds of sanctions have already been passed against the Islamic Republic which insists that the development of nuclear technology is its sovereign right.
In comments cited by the official IRNA news agency, Iran's foreign minister Manoucher Mottaki said the country did not recognise the deadline, adding that the country was waiting for a diplomatic response to information submitted by Iran.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinajad has termed efforts to halt Iran's enrichment programme as a plot by enemies to harm the country's independence.
He said: "No nation can survive without independence. Many people sacrifice their personal interests and even their lives to maintain the independence of their country."
Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is for peaceful ends and that it does not seek to make nuclear weapons.
In Washington, Israeli deputy prime minister Shaul Mofaz has said that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons would be "unacceptable".
He said: "Our estimation is that already by [2009] Iran will reach enrichment capability and as soon as 2010 will have option to reach [uranium production] at military levels.
"It's a race against time and time is winning," he added.
Israeli officials have stated that its rival's nuclear ambitions are a threat and senior officials have said the Jewish state would consider attacking the Islamic Republic.
The west has offered Iran a package of economic incentives in exchange for it abandoning its nuclear enrichment programme but the country has refused to accept such curbs.