Iran ups the ante with fresh round of uranium enrichment

IRAN has begun uranium enrichment at a new underground site well protected from possible airstrikes, in another show of defiance against Western pressure to rein in its nuclear programme.

The story was reported in a leading newspaper. Another paper quoted a senior commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guard force as saying Tehran’s leadership has decided to order the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic oil route, if the country’s petroleum exports are blocked.

Revolutionary Guard ground forces also staged war games in eastern Iran in an apparent display of resolve against US forces just over the border in Afghanistan.