Tehran, August 9 (RIA Novosti, Nikolai Terekhov) - Iran is ready to continue negotiations with "the EU troika" on resuming its uranium enrichment efforts, said the deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. "Iran is currently observing the temporary moratorium on uranium enrichment programs and has not resumed work at the uranium enrichment facility in Natanza," Mohammad Saidi said.
Saidi said despite the losses that Iran is incurring due to the suspended operation of the facilities, it will continue negotiations with "the troika", also known as the Big Three, on re-launching the facility and ending the moratorium.
However, if Britain, France and Germany refuse to pursue dialogue with Iran, it will not insist on further negotiations, he said.
An emergency session of the IAEA Governing Council will consider Iran's case Tuesday. Saidi said Tehran would only accept an IAEA resolution that would comply with the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its additional protocol.
Monday, Iran partially restarted uranium ore processing at the Isfahan nuclear technology center.
The Iranians said they would produce "yellow cake" (powder) from the uranium ore, which would later be converted into uranium hexafluoride for storage.
In Isfahan, the Iranians only re-launched the equipment that had not been closed by the IAEA in the presence of the agency's experts. IAEA experts are expected to open the equipment they closed Tuesday.
Additional inspection equipment has been deployed to Isfahan and is being supervised by IAEA experts.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly said they had extended the uranium enrichment suspension at Natanza and were ready to negotiate with the EU.
However, the EU interpreted the re-launch of Isafahan as Iran's denunciation of the moratorium. According to "the troika", Iran has no right to develop peaceful nuclear technologies and run a complete nuclear cycle, because of the risk that the materials might be used for military purposes.
Iranian expert say the current confrontation between the EU and Iran suits U.S. interests since the United States has long been seeking to submit Iran's case to the UN Security Council and impose sanctions on the country for its nuclear activities.
