Iran announces nuclear programme 'achievements'

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State television reported on Wednesday that Iran has made advances in its nuclear programme, building new uranium enrichment centrifuges and producing its own nuclear reactor fuel plates.

11:23AM GMT 15 Feb 2012

The announcement, to be confirmed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later on Wednesday, was likely to further unsettle the United States and allies who believe Iran is also forging ahead with atomic weapon development.

Iran has developed "4th generation centrifuges" made of carbon fibre that are "speedier, produce less waste and occupy less space" as they spin at supersonic speeds to purify uranium, state television reported, citing Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation.

Iran also created its own 20-percent fuel plates for a research reactor in Tehran whose stock of fuel sourced from Argentina in the 1990s is running low, the report said.

The television also said that Iran had made progress in 20 per cent uranium enrichment at its Natanz facility, beyond enrichment activities already under way there.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for exclusively peaceful, civilian purposes.

Iran announces nuclear programme 'achievements' - Telegraph

 

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New nuclear step for Iran

New nuclear step for Iran

IN A further escalation of international tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce a new advance to its nuclear fuel program overnight.

The move comes just weeks after the US and the European Union widened economic sanctions against Tehran in a renewed attempt to cripple Iran's economy and slow its development of nuclear weapons.

Now it seems that Iran is showcasing a "new advance" in its nuclear program in defiance of the latest sanctions.

"Fuel elements, for the first time created by Iranian scientists, will in the presence of the President ... be loaded into the Tehran research reactor," Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted as saying.

There was speculation from the semi-official Mehr News Agency that Mr Ahmadinejad would reveal that the Fordo uranium enrichment facility, built under a mountain near the Shiite holy city of Qom, had become fully operational.

One nuclear expert said the move did not signal Iran was engaged in mass production of nuclear fuel.

"We are talking about laboratory-scale production of a single element for the reactor," Mark Hibbs, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency said that Mr Ahmadinejad would "unveil a number of key nuclear achievements on Wednesday to demonstrate the scientific capabilities of Iranian scientists to world nations".

"Iranian scientists are never afraid of global arrogance and are determined to conquer peaks of success and progress," the agency said.

A poll released yesterday indicates Iranians are more likely to approve of Iran developing its nuclear power capabilities for non-military use (57 per cent) than for military use (40 per cent).

Thirty-five per cent said they disapproved of military use, the Gallup poll, based on phone interviews with 1000 Iranians conducted between December 16 and January 10, found.

Nearly one in four did not express an opinion either way, while half support cutting diplomatic ties with those countries that impose sanctions on Iran.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has yet to make a comment on Iran's latest move. Last month its inspectors confirmed Iran had started uranium enrichment at its Fordo facility.

The IAEA held meetings with Iran in the capital Tehran from January 29 to 31 aimed at clarifying the "possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program", it said in a statement.

Another meeting will take place in Tehran next week.

"The Agency is committed to intensifying dialogue," IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said.

Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, said yesterday that Australia was "deeply concerned by Iran's decision to begin enrichment to near 20 per cent at its underground facility at Fordow near Qom".

"This clearly adds to our concern — and that of the region — that Iran is undertaking nuclear weapons-related activities."

Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who for months has been warning against any pre-emptive, unilateral strike against Iran over its nuclear program, told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee that he had "no position" on whether it was likely that Israel would attack Iran in the spring.

He said the US, Israel and the international community had a common interest in ensuring that Iran did not develop nuclear weapons.