Our nuclear programme is irreversible, says Iran

IRAN yesterday said its nuclear programme was irreversible, issuing another rejection of a UN Security Council deadline to cease enriching uranium.

Earlier this month, Iran announced it had enriched uranium using 164 centrifuges, a step toward large-scale production of nuclear fuel that can be used either in weapons or reactors for electricity.

“Nuclear research will continue. Suspension of (nuclear activities including uranium enrichment) is not in our agenda. This issue is irreversible,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.

The US and some allies claim Iran is using the programme as a cover for weapons production. Iran says it is designed only for power generation.

The UN Security Council deadline of Friday is not binding, but the US and Britain said Iran must comply or those countries would seek a resolution to make the demand compulsory.

Mr Asefi said: “Iran won’t give up its rights and has prepared plans for any eventuality.”

He said a Russian plan for joint uranium enrichment was still on the table.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, spoke on Saturday of a “basic agreement” between Iran and Russia to set up a joint uranium enrichment firm on Russian soil.

The announcement was a repeat of a similar declaration by Iran and Russia in February but details have never been worked out.

“Necessary grounds need to be prepared for its implementation,” Mr Asefi said.

It is unclear whether Iran would entirely give up enrichment at home, a top demand of the West, or if the joint venture would be complementary to the existing enrichment inside Iran.

Mr Asefi insisted yesterday that Iran has not used any advanced P-2 centrifuges in its enrichment of uranium.

Such a device would be a vast improvement over the P-1 centrifuges, which Iran announced it had used to enrich uranium.

Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed last week that his country was conducting research on the P-2 centrifuge, which could be used to more speedily create fuel for power plants or atomic weapons.

Mr Asefi said: “We have not so far used P-2 centrifuges. What we have used has been P-1.”

The spokesman, however, said Iran had the right to work on P-2 centrifuge.

“No one can deny us of such a work,” he said.

Iran has vowed it would never give up its right under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel.