Iran says nuke operation at Natanz continued

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini Sunday said that his country continued the nuclear operation at Natanze nuclear facilities despite the UN sanction resolution against Tehran.

"The nuclear activities are continuing," Hosseini told reporters at his weekly press conference.

The UN Security Council last month passed Resolution 1737, deciding to impose sanctions on Iran's nuclear and missile program and called on the country to suspend the enrichment activities.

However, Iran denied the UN demand and vowed to install 3,000 centrifuges by March of 2007.

Meanwhile, the spokesman also slammed at the recent U.S. raid on Iran' consulate general in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, saying such move was aimed at imposing pressure on Tehran to implement Washington's new strategy.

Hosseini rejected the U.S. allegations that the arrested five diplomats had connections with Iraqi insurgents, saying that "What Americans accused was incorrect and exaggeration against Iran in order to justify their acts."

He added that "all their actions have been in conformity with the diplomatic rules and regulations."

The U.S. military said in a statement Sunday that the five arrested Iranians in northern Iraq had been connected to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard faction that funds and arms insurgents in Iraq.

In the wake of the U.S. statement, Hosseini rejected a U.S. proposal for talks between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Iranian counterpart, saying that "under the present circumstances, speaking of negotiations is meaningless and sounds hypocritical."

Rice has recently voiced her preparedness to attend talks with Iran's foreign minister on the basis of Iran's suspension of its enrichment activities prior to such negotiations.

The U.S. forces in Iraq Thursday morning raided the Iranian consulate in Iraq's northern city of Arbil and arrested five of its staff members. Iran has voiced its indignation to the incident and urged the Iraqi government to help release the diplomats.

The United States has accused Iran of supporting the Iraqi insurgents to fight with coalition forces since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, but Tehran has denied it, saying such allegations were deliberate intervention to the Iran-Iraq ties by the U.S.

Source: Xinhua