Nuclear Plant Up to Speed in Iran

A defiant Iran resumed full operations at its uranium conversion plant Wednesday, as Europe and the United States struggled to find a way to stop the Islamic Republic from pushing ahead with a nuclear program they feared would lead to weapons.

With United Nations inspectors watching, Iranian officials removed U.N. seals that had been placed with Tehran’s permission on equipment at the facility outside this southern city eight months ago, when the government agreed to freeze most of its nuclear program.

Technicians then resumed work on the process that turns raw uranium into gas for enrichment.

Iran has rejected European proposals to limit its program in return for economic incentives, and has defied threats of U.N. sanctions. Any attempt to impose sanctions could face a veto in the U.N. Security Council from Russia and China, which have close ties with Iran.

Britain, France and Germany submitted a draft resolution to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors shortly after the seals were broken.

The draft calls on Tehran to immediately resume “full suspension of all enrichment-related activities, including the production of feed material,” a European diplomat familiar with the text said. The diplomat said the draft did not refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council.

IAEA spokesman Peter Rickwood confirmed that the draft text had been given to the U.N. watchdog agency to be discussed today, but he declined to comment on the content.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that he was willing to negotiate and would offer his own proposals. Iran has said it won’t restart enrichment without a negotiated deal with Europe. Enrichment can produce nuclear fuel for a reactor or material for a bomb.