UK and US slam Iran’s atomic plan
IRAN defied heads of state and governing bodies worldwide last night, as it announced plans to build 10 new nuclear plants.
The Iranian nuclear agency will start work on five uranium enrichment sites over the next two months, Tehran said, with five more to be set up at a later date, with the aim of producing 300 tonnes of nuclear fuel a year.
The announcement comes just days after the UN’s nuclear watchdog slammed Iran for concealing a nuclear plant.
The expansion of Iran’s nuclear programme will scupper hopes that a compromise proposal, negotiated last month and backed by US President Obama, could be agreed between Tehran and the West.
The White House slammed the move as “yet another serious violation of Iran’s clear obligations,” while Britain said it was “a matter of serious concern” and could be a “deliberate breach” of UN resolutions.
Iran claims its nuclear expansion is peaceful and allowed under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but the West is concerned about it using its nuclear infrastructure to increase its weaponry.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad added that his Cabinet had been looking into enriching uranium at a higher level — high enough so it can be used in medical research, but below the level required to develop weapons.