Showdown in Tehran

NY Times:

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran confirmed it would resume research on nuclear fuel on Monday and the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog warned that the world was running out of patience with Tehran in the dispute over its nuclear program.

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The EU and the United States suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran strongly denies this and says it wants only to generate electricity.

Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said Iran's decision was ``the wrong step in the wrong direction and a cause of very serious concern,'' though her Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel, said it was too soon to discuss sanctions.

Germany, France and Britain have been trying for more than two years to persuade Iran to scrap its enrichment project.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy urged Iran to back down immediately.

His German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, told reporters there would be repercussions. ``It would be a breach of the agreements we reached in Paris,'' he said, referring to the November 2004 accord in which Iran agreed to freeze its enrichment program while in talks with the EU trio.

In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said of Iran's nuclear program ``they have a history of concealing their activities from the international community and not abiding by their international obligations.''