“In the next few months Iran will announce a new nuclear achievement in connection to the production of fuel for its Tehran research reactor,” he said.
The last major advance Iran announced was in February, when it said it had started refining uranium to 20 per cent purity – saying it wanted to produce fuel for the Tehran reactor, which makes isotopes for treating cancer.
That increased Western concerns as it meant Iran was now refining uranium closer to the level needed for nuclear weapons, adding to the momentum behind a fourth round of sanctions passed by the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there are reasons to suspect Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the sanctions as no worse than “pesky flies” and said the resolution was “like a used handkerchief that should be thrown in the bin”.
“America and its allies should wait for Iran’s next move on the nuclear issues and they will soon realise that they have made a mistake,” Iranian vice-president, Mehrdad Bazrpash, told a news agency.
Iran has refused to suspend its sensitive nuclear work, as demanded by the Security Council.
Iran’s parliament will start discussing a bill on Sunday to oblige the government to review its level of cooperation with the IAEA.
“Iran will remain committed to its international commitments and will continue its cooperation with the IAEA,” Salehi said.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 13th, 2010.
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