Iran Produces More Uranium Gas for Enrichment Effort

Iran has produced more uranium gas for its enrichment program, a top nuclear official announced today (see GSN, Jan. 3).

“We have produced more than 250 tons of [uranium hexafluoride], kept in tunnels that are almost unique in the world,” said Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.

Uranium hexafluoride gas can be spun in high-speed centrifuges to produce fuel for nuclear power plants or nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency disclosed in November that Iran had produced 165 tons of the gas, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Iran’s president vowed yesterday to defy U.N. Security Council pressure to freeze the nation’s nuclear program, but a former nuclear negotiator urged Iranian leaders not to simply ignore a Dec. 23 council resolution, the New York Times reported.

“Iran has the fuel cycle, and very soon we will push the button on nuclear fuel production for industrial uses,” said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a speech.  “The Iranian people have made their decision to continue this path wisely and will not pay attention to empty cries of the materialists and the bullying of decadent powers.”

The Security Council approved economic sanctions against Iran’s nuclear and missile programs last month, banning trade in those technologies and freezing the assets of some Iranian individuals and companies.

Also yesterday, former nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian pressed Iranian leaders to thoughtfully consider the council’s actions.

“We can say inside this country that this resolution is illegal,” he said.  “But we have to have a correct understanding of the international community’s considerations” (Nazila Fathi, New York Times, Jan. 4).

“The Security Council is the highest authority on international peace and security, and there is no other authority to which we can appeal,” he added (Bozorgmehr/Smyth, Financial Times, Jan. 4).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.