Iran's nuclear chief to outline regime's refusal to give up uranium enrichment

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani expected to put forward Tehran’s atomic agenda to 155-country meeting of IAEA Monday

VIENNA (AP) — Iran’s nuclear chief is addressing a 155-nation meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency that will focus on Tehran’s contentious atomic program as well as Mideast tensions over Israel’s nuclear capacities.

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani is expected Monday to again outline Iran’s refusal to give up uranium enrichment — which it says it needs to make reactor fuel. The UN Security Council has ordered Tehran to stop the activity, however, because of fears it might use it to produce nuclear warheads.

Iran denies any interest in nuclear weapons. But it has refused to stop enrichment, despite offers of reactor fuel from abroad. It dismisses IAEA suspicions that it worked secretly on nuclear arms.

For the Arabs, Israel’s nuclear capacities are the greatest threat. Israel is believed to have nuclear arms.