Ali Akbar Salehi
Iran has announced it will expand its nuclear programme, in a move that fuels tension with the West.
A senior US administracion official speaking on condition of anonymity said: “This announcement is a provocative move in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The Iranian government knows that this will not meet the humanitarian needs of the Iranian people, and risks creating more regional instability.”
Iran’s nueclear agency head Ali Akbar Salehi said the country will begin producing higher grade nuclear fuel and add ten uranium enrichment at its Natz plant to a level of 20 % for use in a reactor producing medical isotopoes, compareds to 3.5 % it makes now.
The official added: “Iran cannot fabricate the fuel for the Tehran Research reactor in time to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medical isotopes, which calls into question the true motivation of going from 3.5 percent to 20 percent enrichment.”
The United States and the European Union said today they feared the Iranian government may crack down on opponents during this week’s anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
In a joint statement, the EU and Washington: “We are particularly concerned by the potential for further violence and repression during the coming days, especially around the anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s founding on 11 February.”
The Iranian opposition is expected to protest around the anniversary, raising the prospect of new clashes with the security forces.
