Tehran Revises Co-operation With IAEA.

Iran's parliament on Dec. 27 approved a bill obliging the government to revise its co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in response to a Dec. 23 UN Security Council (UNSC) vote imposing sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology.

The UNSC resolution, aimed at dissuading Iran from carrying out uranium enrichment which could produce material to be used in a nuclear weapon, was on Dec. 24 dismissed by President Ahmadi-Nejad as "illegal" and "superficial". Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who on Dec. 26 attended a closed parliamentary session to discuss Iran's response, told reporters the government fully endorsed parliament's plan, although it was not clear whether the move would be anything other than symbolic.

The bill - backed by 167 MPs out of 207 present in the 290-seat chamber on Dec. 27 - obliges the government to revise its co-operation level with the IAEA and obliges the president to "accelerate Iran's nuclear activities". But it stops short of approving demands by some politicians who wanted the government to end UN inspections of atomic facilities. Iran's policy seems to be neither to accept the UN demands, nor make any immediate threats to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or use the oil weapon.

MP Ali Asgari told reporters: "MPs reiterated that we should not take any provocative step. But we should have some surprising moves". Immediately after the UN vote Iran's top nuclear official Ali Larijani said Iran would go ahead with installing 3,000 centrifuges in its pilot plant of Natanz. Mottaki said the centrifuges would start enrichment "soon". Experts believe 2,000 centrifuges can produce sufficient highly-enriched uranium for a reactor or a bomb. Iran's president believes sanctions will not hurt Iran and that the country should not show any sign of retreat. However, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the key decision maker and has not yet reacted to the UN resolution.