tehran warns world powers

Irani president warns world powers

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned yesterday that world powers would regret any moves to slap new sanctions on Iran, while stressing Tehran was still ready for a UN-brokered nuclear fuel exchange deal.Ahmadinejad's latest salvo at world powers came as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured the Gulf to earn backing for possible sanctions against Iran for defiantly pursuing its nuclear programme.

"If anybody seeks to create problems for Iran, our response will not be like before," the hard-line Iranian president told a packed news conference in the capital Tehran.

"Something in response will be done which will make them (the world powers) regret" their move, he said.

Ahmadinejad said negotiations over an UN-drafted nuclear fuel exchange were "not closed yet," and expressed readiness to buy the material even from Iran's arch-foe the United States.Last year the International Atomic Energy Agency proposed sending Iranian low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further enrichment, denying Tehran refining capacity powers fear could be used to help build an atomic bomb.

The offer would have seen the uranium returned to Iran in a high-grade form for use in a Tehran medical research reactor, but the plan has been rejected by the Islamic republic.

Ahmadinejad Orders Higher Enrichment of Uranium

 
Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered his country's atomic agency on Sunday to begin the production of higher enriched uranium, in a move that's likely to deepen international skepticism about the country's real intentions on the crucial issue of enriched uranium.

In comments broadcast on state television, Ahmadinejad said: "God willing, 20 percent enrichment will start" to meet Iran's needs. He did not give a date for the start of the enrichment process.

He was speaking at a meeting attended by the head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Ali Akbar Salehi. Turning to Salehi, Ahmadinejad said: "Mr. Salehi, begin production of 20 percent" enriched uranium.

Producing enriched uranium is the international community's core concern over Iran's disputed nuclear program since it can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.

Iran and the West have been discussing a U.N. plan under which Iran would export its low-enriched uranium for enrichment abroad. The plan, which comes from the International Atomic Agency, was first drawn up in early October in a meeting in Geneva between Iran and the six world powers. It was refined later that month in Vienna talks among Iran, the U.S., Russia and France.