Iran threateneds to reopen its nuclear plant

According to BNA, Iran threatened to reopen its nuclear processing plant here but later agreed to a two day delay after receiving a request from the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency.
Ali Agha Mohammadi, spokesman for Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei asked Tehran for a "maximum of two days" to send its inspectors to Iran's nuclear facility where they can oversee the dismantling of U.N.seals. But the IAEA denied setting a two-day deadline, saying more time is needed to oversee the plant's resumption of uranium processing, agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said. Earlier, Mohammadi had said Iranian technicians would break the seals and restart nuclear processing on Monday. Mohammadi said the combination of restraint and resolve toward restarting uranium processing showed the government's intention not to squander Iran's fundamental right to nuclear power, while preserving close ties to Europe. On state-run TV late Monday, Mohammadi said authorities would delay opening Iran's Isfahan Nuclear Conversion Facility for a week if it thought European negotiators would offer a proposal that left its rights to nuclear technology intact. Earlier in the day, ElBaradei warned Iran "not to take any action that might prejudice the process at this critical stage."