Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will meet with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, Tuesday and issue a report the next day on Tehran's compliance with the UN demands that it halt uranium enrichment, which can produce both nuclear fuel and weapons-grade material.
"I will continue to make a last-ditch effort to try to convince them that it is in their interest to find a way to go into negotiations," ElBaradei told The Financial Times. "If that doesn't happen, and I don't see that it is going to happen overnight, I will have to report negatively."
In December, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran, which is suspected of harboring plans to build nuclear weapons, banning sensitive technology transfers to and restricting financial transactions with the country. The issue will return to the Council following ElBaradei's report, where the U.S. is expected to push for more sanctions.
The Islamic Republic has shrugged off international suspicions, saying it is after civilian nuclear energy, a legitimate drive under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
But ElBaradei told the newspaper there would still be scope for a diplomatic breakthrough until the week of March 5, when the IAEA board meets and the issue is taken out of his hands.
ElBaradei was not enthusiastic about the United States' drive for more sanctions, saying the move could marginalize the Islamic Republic, leading to "worst case scenarios," The Financial Times said.
Addressing threats by Washington and Israel to use force against the defiant regime, he said: "even if [the Iranians] were not going to develop a nuclear weapon today, this would be a sure recipe for them to go down that route."
Instead, he said as quoted by the paper, that the sides should act simultaneously rather than demanding that Tehran halt enrichment as a precondition for any further steps.
Russia warns Iran of NPP delay
Russia meanwhile reiterated its warning Tuesday that the launch of Iran's first nuclear power plant at Bushehr could be delayed as Tehran had fallen behind with payments for more that a month and because of problems with the delivery of some equipment.
The $1 billion NPP project in southern Iran, which Russia is building under a contract signed in 1995, is not subject to UN sanctions, a concession Russia secured at talks on the Iran issue along with milder demands for its economic partner.
The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in the second half of 2007, after the original date at the end of 2006 was put off.
"Obviously, difficulties facing the Iranian side are affecting the construction timetable," said Vladimir Pavlov from Russian nuclear equipment and services monopoly Atomstroyexport, the contractor for the Bushehr NPP.
Atomstroyexport officials said payment delays could also be triggered by Iran shifting transactions from dollars to euros.
Tehran denied delays in payments to Russia Monday, saying they were being made according to schedule. The Islamic Republic also said it was dissatisfied with the slow construction of the plant.
