US brushes off Iran offer on nuclear shutdown

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) The White House today brushed off Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's offer to close down nuclear fuel production facilities if the United States and its allies do the same.

''Do you believe that's a serious offer?'' said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

Ahmadinejad had told a rally broadcast on Iranian state television that, ''If they say that we should close down our fuel production facilities to resume talks, we say fine, but those who enter talks with us should also close down their nuclear fuel production facilities.'' The United States, Britain, France and Germany have been pressuring Iran to give up enrichment activities that they believe are geared toward developing a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran denies.

Snow told reporters the United States was awaiting a report tomorrow by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is expected to tell the UN Security Council that Tehran has defied a 60-day deadline to suspend enrichment.

''But the fact is, we understand that Iran wants to have civilian nuclear power and we certainly have no problem with that. But we do have a problem with an Iran that has the ability to develop nuclear weapons,'' Snow said.

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