  Clinton urges Tehran to return to serious talks January 11, 2012 - 09:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday, Jan 10, Iran's decision to enrich uranium near the city of Qom was "especially troubling" and urged Tehran to return to serious talks with Western powers over its atomic program, Reuters reports. "This step once again demonstrates the Iranian regime's blatant disregard for its responsibilities and that the country's growing isolation is self-inflicted," Clinton said in a statement. Clinton's strongly worded comments repeated U.S. concerns over Iran's announcement that it had started enrichment at the underground Fordow bunker near Qom, which came amid rising tensions between Tehran and western powers. Iran denies Western suspicions that its nuclear program has military goals, saying it is for purely peaceful purposes. "The circumstances surrounding this latest action are especially troubling," Clinton said. "There is no plausible justification for this production. Such enrichment brings Iran a significant step closer to having the capability to produce weapons-grade highly enriched uranium." Clinton rejected Iran's assertion that it needed to enrich uranium to produce fuel for a medical research reactor, saying Western powers had offered alternatives means of obtaining such fuel but their offers had been rejected by Tehran. The United States imposed additional sanctions on Iran last month and the European Union is expected to agree on a ban on imports of Iranian crude oil later this month. As sanctions squeeze, Iran has threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, the outlet for 40 percent of the world's traded oil. At the same time, it has called for fresh nuclear talks with the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, a group known as the "P5+1," which have been stalled for a year. Calling on Iran to immediately halt uranium enrichment, Clinton also urged Tehran to return to talks with the P5+1 "prepared to engage seriously on its nuclear program." "We reaffirm that our overall goal remains a comprehensive, negotiated solution," Clinton said.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive”  At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments.OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg.151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |
