The development poses a major challenge to India, which relies on substantial import of Iranian oil and is under pressure to be part of the US effort to isolate Tehran.
The Iranian President on Wednesday loaded the first Iranian-made nuclear fuel rod into the reactor in north Tehran, and said he will never yield to Western coercion aimed at stopping its atomic activities.
Ahmadinejad unveiled on state television what was said to be Iran’s first domestically produced 20 per cent enriched nuclear fuel for Tehran’s research reactor. He also said 3,000 more centrifuges had been added to his country’s uranium enrichment effort.
Officials said new-generation centrifuges had been installed at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility that is able to produce three times more enriched uranium. Iran touted the development as an incremental step in the country’s efforts to master the complete nuclear fuel cycle, despite Western penalties and UN sanctions.
As the Russian media reported that the West may strike Iran by June and EU nations placing embargo on purchase of oil from Tehran, the oil prices soared up in the international market. The reports quoted Russia’s highest ranking military officer that an attack against Iran could begin as early as summer. “The Russian General Staff is closely watching the situation, and is not ruling out the possibility of a coordinated attack on the Islamic Republic,” General Nikolay Makarov, head of the Russian General Staff, told the media on Tuesday. “Iran is a sore spot,” Makarov noted. “I think a decision will be made by the summer.”
Russia is adamantly opposed to any military action against Iran, though Moscow has supported UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran in an effort to force Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Earlier, this month, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius wrote also that there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June before Iran enters what Israelis described as a ‘zone of immunity’ to commence building a nuclear bomb.
The US and French naval vessels are already prowling in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, and with Iranian patrol boats nearby, the situation could rapidly deteriorate.
The crisis will be watched with a sense of unease in New Delhi, which has so for refused to buckle under the US and Western pressure to curtail its oil import from Iran. India recently struck a deal with Iran, which will see New Delhi making 45 per cent of payments for Iranian oil in rupees as Western sanctions hinder international bank transactions. Iran will use the Indian currency to import goods from India.
India has also announced that it was going to dispatch a business delegation to Iran to explore the possibility of trade and business ties between the two countries. This has reportedly been frowned upon by the US. The White House urged India and its other allies and friends to help isolate Iran and put pressure on the Iranian regime to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions.
“I think that we have made clear to all of our allies and partners around the world about the importance of isolating the regime and Tehran and putting pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions,” White House press secretary, Jay Carney told the media.
However, Indian officials here say that the relation between the two countries will be primary guided by their mutual interests and India cannot jeopardise its long-standing relation with Iran.
With the world deeply divided over a military strike on Iran --- China and Russia have strongly opposed such extreme measure --- the war may not remain a limited regional affair, experts have warned.
Meanwhile, the EU slapped an embargo on Iran’s crude exports as part of tougher new sanctions aimed at stopping the key oil producer from funding its disputed nuclear programme. This led to spurt in oil prices. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in March climbed USD 1.17 to USD 111.03 a barrel in London late afternoon deals. New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate crude for March, won USD 1.04 to USD 99.37 a barrel.
“EU Foreign Ministers adopted an Iranian oil ban on Wednesday that is likely to trigger further concerns about oil supplies,” said commodities analyst Myrto Sokou at the Sucden.
In a related development, Iran’s Oil Ministry denied state media reports on the Islamic state stopping its crude exports to six European countries. “We deny this report … If such a decision is made, it will be announced by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council,” a spokesman for the ministry told Reuters.
Iran’s English language Press TV had earlier said Tehran has stopped exporting oil to France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Netherlands and Spain.
Meanwhile, Iran has replied to a letter sent nearly four months ago by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton proposing a resumption of stalled talks with world powers on its nuclear programme, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The letter, written by chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and handed to Ashton’s office, reads: “Iran welcomes the readiness of the P5+1 group to return to negotiations in order to take fundamental steps toward further cooperation.”
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