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Sunday, July 27, 2008
01:11 Mecca time, 22:11 GMT
 
News Middle East
Iran 'expands' nuclear programme
Iran's parliament has ruled out a freeze to start talks or the suspension of enrichment [AFP]

Mahmoud Ahmedinjad, Iran's president, has said that the country now has 6,000 centrifuges actively enriching uranium as part of its nuclear programme.

State radio also quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on Saturday that the West had "accepted that Iran would continue uranium enrichment with its current 6,000 centrifuges".

But the Washington said no such resolution has been reached with Tehran.

"Announcements like this, whatever the true number is, are not productive and will only serve to further isolate Iran from the international community," Carlton Carroll, White House spokesman, said.

Western powers have offered Tehran a package of economic and other incentives to stop enrichment, which can have civilian or military uses.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator met the the six negotiating powers - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - in Geneva on July 19, where he was reportedly told that Tehran had two weeks to respond.

Iran says it is ready for negotiations but will not accept any pre-conditions or threats in a row that has helped send oil prices sharply higher, despite falls in the last two weeks.

"Iran does not negotiate with anyone over its obvious nuclear right," Ahmadinejad said.

Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude producer, says its nuclear activities are aimed solely at generating electricity.

Sanctions

The UN Security Council has imposed three sets of sanctions in a stand-off that goes back to the revelation in 2002 by an exiled opposition group of the existence of a uranium enrichment facility and heavy water plant in Iran.

Iran says it aims eventually to have 50,000 centrifuges to produce fuel for a planned network of power plants.

The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in May that Tehran had 3,500 centrifuges working at its Natanz facility in central Iran.

In April, it said that it had started installing 6,000 new centrifuges at Natanz and testing a more advanced model.


If running smoothly for long periods, 3,000 would be enough to make material for a warhead in a year, Western experts say.

The United States has warned Iran that it will face more sanctions if it fails to meet the two-week deadline.

Meanwhile, the US has not ruled out military action if diplomacy were to fail.

 Source: Agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 11
 
Karl Eysenbach
United States
27/07/2008
Iran expands nuclear programme
Iran needs to demonstrate more flexability than it is showing right now. Iran and the 5+1 need to be engaged in mutual confidence building exercises, not brinksmanship. Unilaterally going ahead with centrifuge expansion right now is as foolish as the US demanding that Iran totally abandon its nuclear program. Both parties need to find a middle way.

Momen
Afghanistan
27/07/2008
Irans has all the right
In the last hundred or so years, Iran did not commmit any act of aggression. Rather it's the Arab regimes who are to blame for causing one of the most catastrophic wars in human history, i.e. Iran-Iraq war. This same regimes helped Saddam in his acts and these same regimes helped US to do more heinous acts. The world should pay all attention to ME arab countries to establish Democracy which surely would bring true Islamic regimes led by practising muslims in contrast to present hedonistic ones.

lave
Afghanistan
27/07/2008
Irans neighbours
All of Iran's medium and larger neighboring Muslim countries are either an allied or occupied country of the U.S. With one exception Pakistan is also a major Muslim nation. What separates Pakistan from the rest of these countries, are nuclear weapons and no U.S. troop

Ben
United States
27/07/2008
Iran expands nuclear programme
Not only Iran has the 'legal right' under IAEA to enrich uranium. They should seriously consider atomic weapons in the face of the countries that were suppose to disband their atomic arsenal! Not onlyt the west and it's allies NOT disbanded the atomic weapons programs, they go around threatening 'regime change' and 'we'll nuke'm' rhetoric! Iran will simply 'light up' Tel Aviv like a Christmas tree! Get a life Spinnsters!

Philippe
United Kingdom
28/07/2008
Irans Nuclear programme
Iran cannot accepte pre-requisits for negociations as then no negociations will be needed. Iran has the right to pursue any kind of nuclear power for energy purposes and for now, no one has been able to prove tha Iran is seeking Nuclear Weapons, excepted the states using the famous methods they used againste Irak. In addition to that Iran has no interests what so ever of using nuclear weapons against anyone (even Israel) as they would be the one who would suffer the most from such actions!

ibn
Canada
26/07/2008
Iran expands nuclear programme
Knowledge acquisition c is a right from God to every created human. The animal kingdom- gorrillas acquire knowledge how to console relatives God bless you the great brotherhood of the Iranian Republic & IN THIS MONTH of Rajab - 1429 after Hijira , another Hijira of the Ummah is been witnessed. We were the centres that offered knowledge , mediciene , mathematics & science to the world, why the wolf tthey cry.

Carl
United States
27/07/2008
greed
If Iran was only interested in generating electricity, they would cooperate with the UN. If anyone believes that Iran is only interested in peaceful use of nuclear power then I have some swamp land in Florida I'd like to sell them.

Zeeffaa
Malaysia
27/07/2008
greed
Carl, Iran has to take precaution in the stand-off against Israel-US

MM Rahim
Bangladesh
27/07/2008
Nuclear power for Iran
Iran has every right to develop nuclear power, as the western country has done. They are also blind to nuclear arms of Israel, it's a clear hypocratic and double standard of their foreign policies. They have nuclear weapons in their arsenal, why they are so worried about Iran's nuclear power regardless of electricity or weapons issues. Please look on your own and Israel's shoulder.

bert
United Kingdom
27/07/2008
Nuclear power
to this day the US is still the only nation to use nuclear weapons on a civilian population, women and children! this was a crime, and should not be forgotten! now the US says another nation can't have the same power, i don't think that any other nation would ever be that stupid or evil as to drop 2 nuclear bombs on civilians.

Taz
United States
28/07/2008
Iran expands Nuclear programme
I have no problem with any company having nuclear power for electricity. I guess I do not have a problem with Stable Countries having a nuclear weapon. As long as the Government and Country are stable.

 
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