'Iran starts making drones'

TEHRAN (AFP/Reuters) - Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Monday opened two production lines for the manufacture of “advanced” unmanned aircraft or drones, Fars news agency reported.
The drones would be able to carry out “surveillance, detection and even assaults with high precision,” the report said.
Iran also says it will start producing higher-grade nuclear fuel on Tuesday and add 10 uranium enrichment plants over the next year in a nuclear expansion sure to stoke tensions with the West.
The statement by Iran’s nuclear agency chief Ali Akbar Salehi on Sunday followed orders from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for work to start on producing atomic fuel for a Tehran research reactor.
“Iran will set up 10 uranium enrichment centres next year,” Iran’s Arabic-language television station al Alam quoted Salehi as saying.
The Iranian year starts on March 21. Iran mooted such a plan late last year but gave no time frame.
Ahmadinejad also said Iran remained open to a proposed nuclear fuel exchange with world powers, which they hope would minimise the risk of Iran developing atomic bombs. Iran says it wants only to generate electricity from low-level enrichment. Salehi said Iran would start to raise the enrichment level from 3.5 percent to 20 percent on Tuesday, in the presence of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
He said Iran would formally notify the Vienna-based UN agency about the move in a letter on Monday, al Alam reported. He earlier said production would take place at the Natanz site.