insideIRAN | High-ranking Iranian Officials Reject Vienna Deal

High-ranking Iranian Officials Reject Vienna Deal

October 26th, 2009

IRNA, Fars, Mehr, Raja news

State-run news agencies report that Iran would be better off just buying the needed fuel for its reactors and not accepting the Vienna proposal. Raja news, a pro-government website close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wrote: “The talks in Vienna have reduced the possibility of military action against Iran to none.” This website mentions a report in the Israeli daily newspaper, Haaretz, and claims that the Israelis admitted the talks were a great victory for Iran. This report also says that the Vienna proposal makes sanctions against Iran unlikely.

Decisions about Iran’s nuclear program are made by high-ranking officials, such as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The proposed package now faces opposition in Tehran among leading conservatives, such as Iran’s Speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani, and the deputy speaker. It is unclear where Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stands on the issue.

On October 23, the state-run Press TV announced that Iran was going to give its final response to the proposed enrichment deal within a week.

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