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Iran Close to Industrial-Scale Uranium Enrichment
UN nuclear inspectors said Tuesday that Iran is pressing ahead on a larger scale than ever with uranium enrichment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) made a short-notice of the country’s major nuclear facility in Natanz on Sunday and found that the plant was working at its full capacity. The United States, meanwhile, is set to press for stronger sanctions on Iran at the G8 summit next month.
IAEA inspectors made a short-notice visit of Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz on Sunday and found that all of its 1,300 centrifuges were up producing nuclear fuel. The UN nuclear watchdog is to present its findings in a report on May 23.
Iran has defied international pressure and UN sanctions on its nuclear program, saying it is enriching uranium for purely civilian purposes.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in April that his country intends to have 3,000 operational centrifuges by June to lay a foundation for “industrial-scale” uranium enrichment. Russia, which is anxious to protect Iran from further sanctions, said it doubted this estimate and asked The UN nuclear watchdog to give its expert evaluation.
3,000 centrifuges would be enough to refine uranium fuel for a bomb within a year, should Iran want to do so.
U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said that if Iran did not agree to suspect nuclear activities by the time of the G8 meeting in June, the United States would press for a third round of sanctions. Washington still hopes to secure Russia’s approval of stronger sanctions on Teheran.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 16, 2007
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