Arash Aramesh

In the aftermath of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s statements suggesting that he would now accept a demand from Western governments for Iran to ship some of its fuel abroad for enrichment, some conservatives are casting doubt on the veracity of his statements. They are asking him to clarify his position because they doubt that Iran’s decision not to comply with the demand from Western governments has shifted.

In a television interview this week, Ahmadinejad welcomed the West’s offer for a fuel exchange. He did not provide details, but the original deal was for Iran to ship abroad 3 percent of its enriched uranium in return for 20 percent enriched fuel. According to this offer, Iran is obliged to send out 70 percent of is uranium stockpile, significantly reducing its ability to build a nuclear weapon in the near future.

Since the interview, pro-Ahmadinejad news agencies have incorrectly reported that Western governments responded favorably to Iran’s change of heart. Fars News, for example, and other state-run news agencies, appear to be trying to paint this as yet another foreign policy victory for Ahmadinejad’s administration, just days before planned demonstrations by the opposition movement on February 11, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The image Ahmadinejad is apparently trying to create is one of a strong and resilient president who defies the West and later manages to get concessions from Western governments.

But some conservatives opposed to Ahmadinejad are skeptical that the Iranian government, in fact, has changed its position and decided to accept the West’s offer.
Iran reached an impasse with Western governments last fall over a proposed deal to ship its uranium abroad for further enrichment in order to make it more difficult for Iran to be capable of producing a nuclear bomb. Iran rejected the deal proposed by the 5+1 — permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany.

A skeptical Tabnak news, run by conservatives close to former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezai, who is an Ahmadinejad foe, asked the government to clarify its position on the nuclear issue. They questioned whether Iran was curtailing its nuclear ambitions. Tabnak wrote: “Providing an active strategy by Mr. Ahmadinejad will prevent anyone from doubting that Iran is compromising on its nuclear ambitions.”

In an interview with Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Abolfazl Zohrehvand, Iran’s former ambassador to Italy, said Ahmadinejad’s position on the nuclear issue has not changed. He emphasized that Iran will send over its uranium stockpile for further enrichment if there are certain guarantees made by the West. He did not say what those guarantees might entail.