U.S. Says Iran Trying to Bully UN Nuclear Watchdog

VIENNA - Iran is trying to bully the board of the U.N. nuclear watchdog by threatening to resume the enrichment of uranium, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in Vienna said recently.

``What we're seeing is a full court press of intimidation by the government of Iran and its delegation here,'' ambassador Kenneth Brill told reporters, using a basketball metaphor. The United States suspects Iran of developing nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian atomic energy program, which Iran denies.

``People who are trying to produce electricity for lightbulbs don't engage in this kind of behavior,'' he said.

Brill was responding to Iran's reaction to a draft resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency's governing board proposed by France, Britain and Germany that ``deplores'' Iran's less-than-total cooperation with the IAEA.

``If this resolution passes Iran will have no moral commitment to suspend uranium enrichment,'' Iranian President Mohammad Khatami told reporters in Tehran earlier. Iran agreed last year with Europe's big three to suspend enrichment in exchange for peaceful nuclear technology.

On Monday, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran's cooperation with the IAEA probe has been ``less than satisfactory.''

Brill said Iran was trying ``to take a resolution that, while not perfect, is clearly based on (ElBaradei's) recent statement and based on the (latest IAEA Iran) report and to try to get the board to abdicate its responsibility.''

Reuters