Iran stalls for time on nuclear demands

'Freeze-for-freeze' package ignored:

Iran has ignored the demand that it freeze all nuclear activity in its answer to the international offer of a package of incentives to try to defuse the looming crisis over its nuclear ambitions.

Tehran reinforced the impression among western diplomats that it is still playing for time by waiting yet another day before delivering a written response to Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, who is leading efforts to avert a confrontation in the Middle East.

EU officials confirmed they had received the text from Iran's ambassador in Brussels last night but gave no details of its content. There was little hope of an unambiguously positive answer but no expectation of an clear rejection either.

"We are used to these tactics from the Iranians but the fact is that they haven't yet broken things off," a diplomat said.

But there is likely to be strong pressure from Washington for a tough response.

On Saturday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed that Iran would not move "one iota" on its nuclear rights.

The five permanent members of the UN security council, plus Germany, have offered to refrain from imposing more sanctions if Iran freezes expansion of its nuclear work. The "freeze-for-freeze" idea is seen as a stepping stone towards negotiations on a package of economic and technological incentives.

Iran was told on July 19 to give its formal answer within two weeks - a deadline which fell last Saturday. On Monday the US warned that new sanctions would follow if there was no written response.

But an Iranian official told Reuters news agency yesterday that the letter was "not an answer" to the package and did not mention the "freeze-for-freeze issue".

Irrespective of any answer, new EU sanctions are likely to come into force next week.

These include discouraging government export credits to finance trade with Iran and the inspection of cargo moving to and from Iran.

Solana is expected to study the Iranian letter before consulting by conference call, today, with senior diplomats from the six countries involved.

Observers expect US pressure for a tougher international response, but also Russian and Chinese reservations because of the high price of oil and the wish to avoid damaging an already fragile world economy.

The security council has imposed three rounds of penalties on Iran since 2006 in response to Tehran's refusal to suspend enrichment, which it says is aimed only at producing fuel for nuclear power generation.

Little is likely to be agreed before the UN general assembly convenes in late September.

Western powers and Israel, which has its own undeclared nuclear arsenal outside any international legal framework, fear the Iranian programme is a cover for developing nuclear weapons.

- Guardian, UK