WarSclerotic

Iran will never shut down its Fordo uranium enrichment plant, a senior legislator was quoted as saying on Sunday, brushing off a demand from world powers who fear Tehran is working to develop atomic weapons capabilities.

The Islamic republic, which insists that its nuclear program is purely peaceful, started building the plant in secret as early as 2006. The facility was built inside a mountain to protect it from airstrikes.

Last week, Reuters reported that world powers were planning to offer to ease sanctions barring trade in gold and other precious metals with Iran in return for steps to shut down Fordo.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, referred to the reported offer on Sunday and dismissed any idea of a closure, the Iranian Students News Agency reported.

“Fordo will never be shut down because … our national duty is to be able to defend our nuclear and vital centers against an enemy threat,” Boroujerdi was quoted as saying.

“This suggestion (shutting down Fordo) is meant to help the Zionist regime,” he added, referring to Israel.

Israel has threatened to attack Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.

The United States and its allies are particularly worried about Fordo because Iran is refining uranium there to a fissile concentration of 20 percent, which Iran says it needs for a medical reactor. Twenty percent purity is only a short technical step away from weapons-grade uranium.

Western officials said last week the offer to ease sanctions barring gold and other precious metals trade with Iran would be presented at Feb. 26 talks between Iran and world powers in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

They acknowledged it represented a relatively modest update to proposals that the six major powers put forward last year.

Iran’s parliament has little control over the Islamic republic’s foreign policy, which is decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.