U.N. Response to Iran Nuclear Work Unclear Washington asks the world body to take 'strong steps' to rein in Tehran, but other key members of the Security Council urge restraint. By Alissa J. Rubin April 13, 2006 Los Angeles Times Original Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran13apr13,1,7326548.story VIENNA — Leading countries on the U.N. Security Council expressed dismay Wednesday over Tehran's announcement that it had produced enriched uranium, although there was little sign of consensus among them on how to respond. Iran announced Tuesday that its scientists had succeeded in enriching a tiny quantity of uranium to a low level needed for civilian use and planned to greatly increase the country's ability to produce nuclear fuel by the end of the year. Western countries fear that Iran wants to enrich uranium to build an atomic bomb. The sharpest response Wednesday came from the United States, which has been unabashed in its opposition to Iran's enrichment efforts. In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was time for the Security Council to take strong steps to bring Iran into compliance with United Nations demands that the Islamic Republic rein in its nuclear program. The council is expected to meet at the end of the month to discuss the issue. The world does not believe that Iran should have the capability and the technology that could lead to a nuclear weapon, Rice said. When the Security Council reconvenes, I think it will be time for action. However, Bush administration officials refused to spell out what the U.S. might demand by the world body. Russia and China, also key members of the council, struck a more equivocal tone, raising concerns about Iran's actions but also warning against any precipitous international action. Both say they are reluctant to back economic sanctions, one possible tool in attempting to force Iranian compliance. We do appeal to all parties to exercise restraint, to act constructively and not to take action that might further aggravate the situation, said Wang Guangya, the Chinese ambassador to the U.N. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov warned against moves to whip up passions over the issue, noting that Iran had expressed no intent to build a nuclear bomb. Leading European governments, which have been most active in negotiations with Iran, were restrained in their response but were clearly perturbed by Tehran's announcement. They are examining the possibility of imposing economic sanctions on their own if the Security Council cannot agree on strong action. Such sanctions would be a hard sell domestically in Europe because a number of countries have lucrative trade deals with Iran and have invested heavily in the country. Easier to enact would be bans on travel visas for Iranian officials and the export of certain luxury goods to Iran, said one European official, who asked not to be named. He added, however, that such penalties were unlikely to have much effect. Iranian officials said scientists had enriched a tiny quantity of uranium to the level needed for civilian purposes by running it through a cascade of 164 linked centrifuges. They said the country intended to increase the number of linked centrifuges to 3,000 by year's end. Stephen Rademaker, acting U.S. assistant secretary of State for security and nonproliferation issues, who was in Moscow for meetings Wednesday, said the same technology Iran used to enrich uranium to a low level could eventually be used to produce weapons-grade material. Uranium enriched to 3.5% can be used for generating electricity; uranium enriched to more than 80% can be used in an atomic weapon. We've done calculations of what can be done with a 164-machine cascade, Rademaker said. If they chose to use such a cascade to produce highly enriched uranium, they could produce enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon in a little over 13 years — specifically, 13.6 years is our calculation. We calculate that a 3,000-machine cascade could produce enough highly enriched uranium to produce a nuclear weapon in 271 days, Rademaker said. Analysts have noted, however, that operating a centrifuge cascade for a short time to make a small amount of enriched uranium, as Iran says it has done, is far easier that keeping the process going for weeks or months on a larger scale. The International Atomic Energy Agency referred the Iran issue to the Security Council in February. The council issued a statement March 28 calling on Iran to abide by the IAEA demands, which include a cessation of all enrichment activity and ratification of a stiffer inspection regime so nuclear inspectors would have access to a broader range of facilities, such as plants where centrifuges are manufactured. Rice spoke Wednesday with IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who is visiting Tehran this week. It was her second conversation in three days with the U.N. official, who must report to the council when it next meets. Although the administration has refused to disavow the option of preemptive military action against Iran, Rice said U.S. officials would adhere to a diplomatic process. We are going to be steady in our diplomatic track here because we believe that a concerted and coherent diplomatic policy that the world is behind will convince the Iranians that they have to come back into compliance with what the international community is demanding of them, she said. But there are demands on the table and the Iranians need to accede to those demands. * Times staff writers Kim Murphy in Moscow and Maggie Farley at the United Nations, along with The Times' Washington Bureau, contributed to this report.