Iran rejects tougher atom checks

By Mark Heinrich

GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran on Monday ruled out accepting intrusive nuclear inspections unless there was an end to "double standards" on global non-proliferation that it said benefited nuclear arms powers including Israel.

Squaring off with Western nations at a global meeting on proposals to shore up the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran rejected allegations of covert Iranian atom bomb work, and blamed nuclear weapons powers for the treaty's problems.

The United States said the example of Iran's "course of deceit, lawbreaking and confrontation" in pursuing secretive uranium enrichment and spurning trade and technology incentives to stop posed the prime threat to the NPT.

The hard-nosed exchange reflected political feuding between nuclear "haves" and "have nots" that has frustrated efforts to improve the four-decade-old treaty, up for review in 2010 after preparatory meetings this year and next.

Earlier on Monday, Iran spurned a packet of fresh incentives offered by six world powers to coax Tehran into halting the enrichment process which can make fuel for power plants or material for warheads.

At the NPT meeting in Geneva, big nuclear powers say that alleged covert attempts by North Korea, Iran and Syria to obtain atom bombs makes it vital that terms for transfers of sensitive nuclear technology are toughened.

Developing nations say this would erode their right to the peaceful fruits of nuclear energy, and make it easier for the big powers to avoid scrapping their weapons.

Iran asked why developing nations should accept intrusive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections as a condition for obtaining nuclear know-how when nuclear arms powers could unilaterally curb IAEA checks of their facilities.