by Michael Adler
VIENNA, Sept 14 (AFP) - The United States appeared headed for a showdown with Iran over the Islamic republic's alleged nuclear weapons program, with both sides taking hardline positions Tuesday at the UN atomic agency.
The United States is pushing for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to adopt a resolution at a meeting in Vienna this week that would set a deadline, possibly as early as October 31, for Tehran to fully suspend uranium enrichment and take other measures, diplomats said.
"We want the resolution to lay out essential and urgent steps for Iran to take," a US official said.
He said the United States saw the deadline as a "trigger," so that if Iran failed to do what was asked of it, the IAEA would automatically at its next meeting in November bring Tehran before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
But in a statement sure to irk Washington, Iran said it would not agree to an unlimited suspension of uranium enrichment, a process that makes what can be fuel for civilian reactors or the explosive core of atomic bombs.
Hossein Mousavian, the head of the Iranian delegation to the IAEA meeting, warned that "we will not accept any bargaining for an unlimited suspension."
"Iran will not accept having to make new commitments that extend the scope of the suspension of uranium enrichment," he said.
IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei warned against setting a deadline, saying he had not yet determined whether Iran's program had peaceful intent or was designed to develop nuclear weapons.
"There is no artificial deadline whereby I can say in November, I can promise that everything will be completed," he told reporters.
"Have we seen any proof of a weapons program? Have we seen undeclared enrichment? Have we seen undeclared material?" he asked.
"Well, obviously on these issues until today there is none of that, but are we in a position to say that everything now is peaceful? Obviously we are not at that stage."
He said the investigation was "very complex" as it depended on information from both Iran and countries involved in the international black market that supplied Tehran with nuclear materials.
ElBaradei said he was ready to give an "evaluation" to the IAEA board of governors that would decide on a deadline, "but I am giving advance warning that this will not be the end of the story."
A non-American western diplomat, speaking before the second day of talks at the IAEA, said the US was pushing for a tougher resolution than one drafted by Britain, France and Germany.
That resolution gives Iran a November deadline to allay concerns that it is secretly making atomic weapons but does not say that Iran should automatically be taken to the Security Council if it fails to do this.
"Things seem to be moving but the United States thinks something is missing. They think the European resolution can be improved," the diplomat told AFP.
"We're really just at the beginning of consultations," another diplomat said.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Monday warned Iran it faces "serious" consequences unless it fulfils a pledge to stop uranium enrichment, which produces fuel for civilian reactors but also the explosive core for atomic bombs.
Iran, however, has so far rebuffed such warnings and insists its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes and within the confines of the Nunclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Mousavian said Monday that Iran had shown its willingness to cooperate with the international community by suspending for a year the building of centrifuges used for enriching uranium.
The United States however maintains Iran has not lived up to the agreement and is conducting a covert program to produce nuclear weapons.