Iran announces a nuclear breakthrough that's sure to alarm the West: TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is producing enriched uranium from 164 centrifuges, influential former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Tuesday, a major step toward its goal of making nuclear fuel for power stations. Rafsanjani's comments to Kuwait's KUNA news agency came ahead of a planned announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about progress in Iran's nuclear program, which media had speculated would say that Iran had produced low-grade enriched uranium. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the statement showed Iran was "moving in the wrong direction" and if it persisted, the United States would discuss possible next steps with U.N. Security Council members. "If the regime continues to move in the direction that it is currently, then we will be talking about the way forward with the other members of the Security Council and Germany about how to address this going forward," McClellan said on board Air Force One en route to Missouri. Iran's announcement is a serious setback to U.N. Security Council efforts to have Tehran halt enrichment work. It could escalate a confrontation with Western powers leading to consideration of sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The West fears Iran is using its power station program as a smokescreen to build atomic bombs, a charge Tehran denies. "We operated the first unit which comprises of 164 centrifuges, gas was injected, and we got the industrial output," Rafsanjani said in an interview with KUNA. "There needs to be an expansion of operations if we are to have a complete industrial unit; tens of units are required to set up a uranium enrichment plant," said Rafsanjani, who was Ahmadinejad's rival in last year's presidential race. Ahmadinejad had said he would announce "good news" on atomic progress on Tuesday, but had not given details.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph's Con Coughlin sounded this alarming note even before the announcement ... Tags: Iran, Foreign Policy, Bush administration, Nukes, Nuclear, War |
