TEHRAN, 13 June 2005 — Iran has for the first time expressed its support for the re-election of International Atomic Energy Agency Director Mohamed Baradei, hailing what it said was a “consensus” against the United States. “We hope that he is elected again because there is a consensus about him and America has been isolated,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.
Since February 2003, Baradei has been leading a probe of Iran’s nuclear program, and Tehran was subsequently forced to acknowledged it had hidden its sensitive activities from the UN’s nuclear watchdog for close to two decades. Baradei, 62, has said the “jury is still out” on whether Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons, resisting pressure from the United States which insists the country has been using an atomic energy drive as a cover for weapons development.
Last week, the United States removed its opposition to the former Egyptian diplomat and said it was ready to accept a third term for him despite past policy disagreements over both Iraq’s and Iran’s nuclear programs. Iran says it has since November suspended uranium enrichment activities towards making fuel for civilian nuclear power plants. Critics of Iran’s nuclear intentions say the suspension is necessary because the same enrichment process could also lead to the explosive core of nuclear bombs.
Talks with Britain, France and Germany opened in December with a focus on Tehran guaranteeing its nuclear program is peaceful in return for trade, security and technology benefits. At an IAEA meeting this week, Baradei is due to release a new report on how Iran is cooperating with the agency. IAEA inspectors recently visited a uranium conversion facility in Isfahan and an underground uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.
Meanwhile, Iranian police yesterday broke up a gathering by women protesting over the Islamic government’s gender discrimination, making at least two arrests as the demonstration threatened to spiral into a larger anti-regime protest. The rally began with about 30 women assembled outside Tehran University, but they were quickly joined by about 200 passersby. The crowd began shouting slogans including “Freedom for Iran” and “No to totalitarianism”.
The spontaneous protest took place just six days before the Islamic republic goes to the polls to elect a new president, the clerical regime’s No. 2 position after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The demonstrators, who did not have the Interior Ministry permit required for any gatherings, were quickly surrounded by tens of policemen and women as well as plainclothes security men, AFP reporters at the scene said.
One woman protester was seen hitting a police officer and then being arrested and taken away in a minibus with another demonstrator. On the ground were torn up campaign leaflets of some of the presidential candidates. After intervening against the women’s gathering, police then turned their attention to residents who had joined in the anti-regime chants. After moving the demonstrators along, police finally managed to disperse the crowds. Police also confiscated official press cards carried by some journalists watching the protest, and blocked off access to the area with two large buses.
