| I think we all saw this coming. In fact, I think we all saw this coming right about now. |
Iran's leadership has rejected demands to freeze sensitive nuclear work contained in an international proposal aimed at resolving the crisis over Tehran's nuclear drive, an official was quoted as saying yesterday. "In the West's proposal, two preconditions are raised: suspending nuclear activities and responding to questions" raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli, the deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. "The leadership has reached the conclusion that it will not accept the precondition set by the Europeans," he was quoted by semi-official Mehr news agency, which is close to the Islamic republic's top national security body. Although a number of senior officials have over the past month spoken out against a freeze, the comments from Rahmani-Fazli — the deputy of Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani — are the first indication that the regime has reached a clear decision.