Hashemi Rafsanjani Says Uranium Enrichment Has Not Started So There Is Nothing to Halt

In light of the differing statements from Iranian officials regarding the halt of uranium enrichment in the country, Hashemi Rafsanjani recently stated in an interview with Lebanon's Al-Manar television that uranium enrichment has not started so there is nothing to stop. Previously, during a quadrilateral meeting in Tehran with three European countries (the UK, France, and Germany), the Islamic Republic announced that it would halt the uranium enrichment process in Iran. However, just a few days after this decision, the office of Hamid Reza Asfari, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, sent a message to Reuters' office in Tehran declaring the news of halting uranium enrichment in Iran as completely false. Interestingly, Mr. Asfari had stated just hours before sending this message in a press conference that they had acted since the time they spoke about halting enrichment. Prior to this, Asfari's superior, Kamal Kharrazi, had announced the halt of uranium enrichment in the country. Meanwhile, Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Council, in his interview on November 8, responded to a question about the halt of uranium enrichment in Iran by saying: 'Iran has not yet started uranium enrichment; in fact, we are in the preparatory stage, and no operations have begun.' He added: 'What we agreed upon was to wait until the International Atomic Energy Agency is convinced of the transparency of Iran's nuclear programs; in fact, no activity has been undertaken that needs to be halted.'