MOBILIZING PRESSURE TO PERSUADE IRAN'S ENGAGEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000059 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2021 TAGS: IR PARM PREL UNSC SUBJECT: MOBILIZING PRESSURE TO PERSUADE IRAN'S ENGAGEMENT ON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM REF: SECSTATE 9124 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Peter Henry Barlerin, for reasons 1.4 (b) (d). ¶1. (C) On February 1 Charge met with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Al-Maamoun Keita to highlight U.S. efforts to mobilize diplomatic engagement with Iran in 2009, underscore the lack of a meaningful Iranian response, outline U.S. view of the necessity of increasing pressure on Iran; and seek cooperation. Charge shared with the Secretary General French-language versions of the IAEA Board of Governors Iran resolution from November and the European Council's declaration on Iran from December. ¶2. (C) Keita said he had received the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran a couple of weeks ago, and the latter had asked him Mali's views on the tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program. Keita said he told the Iranian Charge that Iran was a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and thus had to abide by its resolutions. He said further that Mali is a signatory to the African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Pelindaba, and could not support Iran's development of a nuclear capability for other than peaceful purposes. He noted that the Iranian Charge had sought to convince him that Iran was only seeking to develop nuclear power for civilian use, and is leaning in the direction of starting to enrich uranium to higher levels to make its own fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor because it does not trust the Russians or the French to deliver the quality of uranium it requires. The Secretary General said he had replied that that was not a valid excuse. If the countries delivering the fuel fail to provide what had been agreed, Iran could appeal to the IAEA. BARLERIN