United Nations Secretary-General Ban Kim-moon urged Iran on Tuesday to comply with the Security Council resolutions.

Every UN member country is obliged to fully comply with Security Council resolutions.

Hopefully, Iran will respond to Ban's words.

The Security Council resolution adopted on March 24 asks the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report back on whether Iran has suspended enrichment activities. It set a 60-day deadline for Iran's compliance. On Tuesday, two IAEA inspectors arrived in Iran to visit its uranium enrichment plant.

The previous day, Iran announced that it is enriching uranium in industrial quantities with the operation of 3,000 centrifuges, nearly 10 times as many as previously declared. Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's atomic energy organization, said that Iran aims to increase the number to 50,000 operating centrifuges.

The announcement has provoked both dismay and skepticism from the international community.

Iran has been criticized for defying repeated requests from the Security Council to stop the enrichment process.

It claims that the fuel will be used for energy and for "expansion of peace and stability", adding that the goal of "progress" for Iran is "irreversible".

Confrontation between Iran and the international community will benefit no one.

The international community is committed to seeking a negotiated solution to the Iran nuclear issue. The goal of the negotiations is to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran, based on mutual respect. They would re-establish international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.

The statement the Security Council permanent members issued after the March 24 resolution recognizes Iran's rights under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in accordance with its NPT obligations.

Iran should show the world how it will address the international community's concerns when its legitimate interests are taken into account.

It is hoped that Iran and the international community will find a mutually acceptable path.

(China Daily April 12, 2007)