Salehi: Iran will produce fuel plates soon

Iran's nuclear point man Ali-Akbar Salehi says that much to the West's surprise, Tehran will produce nuclear fuel plates within the next few months.

Iran on Tuesday announced that it started enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent after potential suppliers failed to provide fuel for Tehran's research reactor which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran could not wait for Western countries to "waste time" because the Tehran research reactor will soon run out of fuel.

Two days after that, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Iran had successfully produced the first stock of the 20-percent enriched uranium.

Western countries reacted with cynicism to Iran's declaration, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner describing the plan as a political bluff.

Kouchner claimed that Iran does not have the ability to enrich uranium to 20 percent and accused Tehran of "blackmail."

Salehi, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, dismissed Kouchner's remarks and assured him that Iran would produce the plates within the next few months.

He wondered why Western countries were concerned over Iran's declaration while they claimed that Tehran lacked the ability to enrich uranium to higher levels.

According to Salehi, Iran had the potential to enrich uranium to higher levels but preferred to buy the required fuel considering certain "economic and political reasons."

Iran's willingness to purchase the fuel, however, was misinterpreted as lack of Iran's expertise in nuclear technology, he said.

Iran's top nuclear official asserted that Iran could surely enrich uranium to higher levels, saying that the country was a nuclear forerunner among Muslim countries.

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs Thursday cast doubt on the announcement that Iran produced the first batch of 20 percent uranium.

"The Iranian nuclear program has undergone a series of problems throughout the year," Gibbs said. "We do not believe they have the capability to enrich to the degree to which they now say they are enriching."

Iran says it is still open to talks on a fuel swap with the West. Iran has, however, reiterated that its "conditions", mainly revolving around guarantee issues, have to be taken into account if the West is interested on a fuel exchange with Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118523§ionid=351020104.