U.S. Says Iranian Enrichment Unacceptable

WASHINGTON –AP- The Bush administration told Iran on Tuesday that any enrichment of nuclear fuel on Iranian territory was unacceptable, as Russia appeared to close ranks with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered the tough message — but shied away from warning of immediate U.N. sanctions — after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

At a joint State Department news conference, Lavrov said there was no compromise in sight with Iran. Russia has been negotiating with Iran and has proposed enriching fuel on Russian soil for Iran's energy need.

The International Atomic Energy Agency already has referred the Iranian nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council, a move spearheaded by the Bush administration.

"We will see what is necessary to do in the Security Council," Rice said. She said there was still time for Iran to change its ways but added: "The United States has been very clear: the enrichment and reprocessing on Iranian soil is not acceptable."

Lavrov denied that Russia has made a new proposal that would eventually permit Iran to enrich a limited amount of nuclear fuel on its own territory. United States officials, worried that the material could eventually be used for nuclear weapons, rejected such a plan on Monday.

"There is no compromise new Russian proposal," Lavrov said.

Vice President Dick Cheney, meanwhile, said in a speech Tuesday to a pro-Israel lobbying group that Iran will not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and warned that the issue may soon go before the Security Council.

"The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose meaningful consequences," Cheney told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. "We join other nations in sending that regime a clear message: we will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

He said the U.S. "is keeping all options on the table in addressing the irresponsible conduct of the regime." In the past the U.S. has said it has no intention of using military force for now, but has declined to completely rule it out.

Rice and Lavrov later met with President Bush at the White House for about half an hour. Asked afterward if Russia would accept sanctions against Iran, which Moscow has seemed reluctant to do, Lavrov said, "Have you seen a proposal for any sanctions? This is a hypothetical question, yes?"

Earlier in the day, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the U.S. expects the U.N. Security Council to move forward to rebuke Tehran for its disputed nuclear program.

"The international community has spelled out what Iran must do — that means suspend all enrichment activity," McClellan said.

McClellan's comments came as a diplomat in Vienna, Austria, where the IAEA is meeting, told The Associated Press that Iran is offering to suspend full-scale uranium enrichment for up to two years. The offer reflected Tehran's attempts to escape Security Council action over the activity, which can be used to make nuclear arms.

The diplomat, who demanded anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the issue, said Tehran's offer was made Friday by chief Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani in Moscow in the context of contacts between Iran and Russia on moving Tehran's enrichment program to Russia. But Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said Tuesday his country was not prepared to freeze small-scale enrichment.

In Washington, McClellan said Iran "has shown it cannot be trusted.

"It hid its nuclear activities for two decades from the international community. It has refused to comply with its international obligations. This is about the regime and its behavior. That's what this is about and that's what our focus is," he said.

Russia is also a key player in the U.S. drive to limit aid to the extremist group Hamas, which has taken control of the Palestinian legislature.

The U.S. desire for Russian help against Hamas is just one of several cards Lavrov holds as the Security Council prepares to take up the case of Iran's disputed nuclear program.

Russia, which has veto power as one of the permanent members of the Security Council, is perhaps Tehran's most important ally and business partner.

China, which also has veto power on the Security Council, is appealing for further negotiation. "Iran should cooperate closely with the IAEA to settle the nuclear dispute," Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Tuesday in Beijing at a news conference. "There is still room for settlement of the issue in the IAEA."

The United States won a diplomatic coup in February when Russia went along with the U.S.-backed effort to report Iran to the council, but had to agree to a delay of at least a month before the council could take any action. That window is closing without the progress Russia hoped to claim on its proposed nuclear compromise.