Higher enrichment from tomorrow: Iran

TEHRAN (Reuters/AFP) - Iran will start producing 20 per cent enriched nuclear fuel from tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Natanz plant, the head of its Atomic Energy Organisation was quoted as saying.
“We will inform the IAEA in a letter tomorrow (Monday) of our intention to enrich uranium to 20 per cent,” Ali Akbar Salehi told the Arabic-language Al-Alam television, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The higher enrichment will begin at the Natanz plant from the day after tomorrow (Tuesday),” he added.
Natanz is in the central province of Isfahan.
Earlier, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered Salehi to enrich uranium to 20pc, in a fresh challenge to world powers days after appearing to accept a UN-drafted nuclear fuel deal.
Ahmadinejad also blamed the world powers for the stalemate over the fuel deal, but left the door open for possible negotiations over the proposal.
“I had said let us give them (world powers) two to three months and if they don’t agree, we would start ourselves,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech at an exhibition on laser technology which was broadcast live on state television.
“Now Dr (Ali Akbar) Salehi, start to make the 20pc with the centrifuges,” he told the atomic chief, who was sitting in the audience.
Ahmadinejad insisted that world powers ‘unconditionally’ accept exchanging Iran’s low-enriched uranium (LEU) for high purity 20pc enriched uranium to be used as nuclear fuel for the Tehran reactor which makes medical isotopes.
He also said that Iran now had laser technology which can enrich uranium to any level but Tehran would resort to using centrifuges - the device which rotates at supersonic speed - for processing high purity uranium.