Iran to maintain high-grade uranium enrichment, build more plants

TEHRAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran announced on Monday it will maintain high-grade uranium enrichment and will construct more uranium enrichment plants, the local satellite Press TV reported.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday announced a law to instruct the government to push ahead with the ongoing 20- percent uranium enrichment, the report said.

According to the law, which has already been approved by the Majlis (Parliament) and the Guardian Council, the top legislating body of the country, the government is obliged to press ahead with the 20-percent uranium enrichment to supply and deliver the fuel needed by the Tehran medical research reactor, the report said.

Currently, Iran, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent in Natanz enrichment facilities in central Iran which is criticized by the West.

Besides, the law requires the Iranian government to cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) only within the framework of the NPT and should not fulfill demands going beyond the NPT requirements, the Press TV reported.

The government, is also urged by the law to invest in different aspects of nuclear technology to bring the nation to "full nuclear independence," according to the report.

In the meantime, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said that Tehran will begin constructing another uranium enrichment plant by early 2011, the state IRIB TV reported on Monday.

"Studies for the location of 10 uranium enrichment facilities have ended," Salehi said, adding "the construction of one of these facilities will begin by the end of the (current Iranian) year ( that ended in March 2011) or start of next (Iranian) year."

Currently, Iran's Natanz enrichment facility is enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent and another facility around Qom, Fordo, is under construction.

Iran had said on Sunday it will not stop its nuclear fuel enrichment activities although Russia would provide it with the nuclear fuel needed to run its Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Head of Iran's Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said Sunday that Iran will continue the uranium enrichment process inevitably because the country needs it for its future power plants.

Asked by reporters whether Iran will continue the enrichment process after fuel is injected into Bushehr plant, Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that fuel injection and uranium enrichment are two different issues.

The Russian Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) said Friday that the launch of the Bushehr plant in Iran has been set for Aug. 21.

Iran is building other nuclear power plants, and has plans to build more in the future or the Russian side will be given the right do so for Iran, Boroujerdi said, arguing that Tehran still needs to provide fuel for the power plant projects.

Boroujerdi's remarks came in response to earlier statements by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Russia will supply fuel to Iran's Bushehr plant which makes Tehran not in need of producing nuclear fuel.

"Hillary Clinton is not aware that supply of fuel by Russia to Bushehr plant has nothing to do with the national enrichment program," he said.

Boroujerdi also rejected White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' remarks that by using Russian fuel for the Bushehr power plant, Iran will be no longer in need of the enrichment operations.

On Friday, Gibbs said "Russia is providing the fuel and taking the fuel back out," which means that Iran does not need its own enrichment program.

The international community worries Tehran may obtain the uranium fuel needed for nuclear weapons by the same process to purify uranium, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purpose and argues that as a signatory to the NPT, it has the right to the use of peaceful nuclear technology.

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