Nuclear Fuel Plan Gets Support

BEIJING —  China and Iran expressed measured support Thursday for a Russian proposal designed to break a deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear program even as they repeated their opposition to U.N. sanctions.

Moscow has proposed that nuclear fuel for Iranian reactors be enriched on Russian soil, thereby reducing international fears that it might be diverted into a weapons program.

Senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told reporters at the Iranian Embassy in Beijing that the Russian proposal was useful but required further discussion. He added that imposing sanctions on Iran could backfire.

“It would be a disgrace to condemn with sanctions a country for peaceful research. Surely the world would not accept such an action,” Larijani said. “But if this kind of mistake happens, the consequences of the wrong actions will return back to those who put Iran under pressure.”

In a separate briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said China hoped other countries would consider Moscow’s proposal. “We think the Russian proposal is a good attempt to break this stalemate,” he said.

Washington and its European allies suspect Tehran of trying to build a nuclear weapon and have called on the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, to refer the issue to the U.N. at its emergency meeting Feb. 2. Such a move could subject Iran to economic and political sanctions.

In an interview in Washington on Thursday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the case should be transferred to the U.N. as soon as possible. She said Iran’s sudden interest in the Russian proposal was little more than a stalling tactic.

“The Iranians are doing nothing but trying to throw up chaff so that they are not referred to the Security Council, and people shouldn’t let them get away with it,” she told Reuters news service. “The time [for referral] has come.”

Iran says its intentions are peaceful and its interests limited to nuclear energy, not weapons, even as it argues that having the enrichment process carried out on foreign soil would undermine its sovereignty.

At the Iranians’ news conference, reporters were shown a government video titled “Iran’s Peaceful Civilian Nuclear Program,” which included multicolored molecules floating across the screen bombarding one another in slow motion.

“Bright Future,” a caption read. “Iran’s Nuclear Future.”

Larijani’s one-day visit to Beijing came on the heels of a Moscow stop aimed at garnering support for Iran’s bid to frustrate the U.S.-led effort for referral. China and Russia are allies of Iran and IAEA governing board members, and Beijing is also an important oil customer.

Beijing has generally opposed the use of sanctions or other punitive measures against Tehran, preferring that the issue be handled through the 35-member IAEA or diplomatic channels. Still, it is wary of finding itself too much at odds with international consensus.

“While some countries are in a hurry to solve the problem, resulting in a lot of pressure, this is not good for a peaceful resolution,” said Shi Yanchun, a Mideast specialist and former Chinese ambassador to Yemen and Syria.

China also hopes to avoid being put on the spot. As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, it will have veto power if the international body does consider a sanctions resolution. But it would rather not have to make that choice.

International concern over Iran’s intentions has grown amid Tehran’s decision this month to remove the security seals on its enrichment equipment, its pledge to resume nuclear fuel research after a 15-month hiatus and its growing public defiance.