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Iran Focus
 London, Apr. 11
– Iran has began uranium enrichment, former Iranian President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani announced on Tuesday, despite a call by the United Nations
Security Council for it to cease all uranium enrichment activities.
“We operated the first unit which comprises of 164 centrifuges, gas was
injected, and we got the industrial output”, Rafsanjani, who currently chairs
the State Expediency Council (SEC), told the Kuwaiti news agency in Tehran.
“There needs to be expansion of operation if we are to have a complete
industrial unit; tens of units are required to set up a uranium enrichment
plant”, he added.
Asked what outcome he expected from the upcoming visit of International
Atomic Energy Agency director general Mohamed ElBaradei
to Iran,
Rafsanjani said that the UN nuclear watchdog chief would meet new
circumstances. ElBaradei is set to travel to Iran on
Wednesday.
The West believes Iran
is pursuing a nuclear weapons program under the guise of atomic energy
development.
The Security Council adopted a “Presidential Statement” unanimously on March
29 giving Iran
30 days to suspend all of its uranium enrichment activities and resume its
cooperation with the IAEA.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday that the EU
should consider sanctions against Tehran for refusing to heed the demands of
the UN.
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