Iran And US Clash Over New Uranium Enrichment Plant
It has been announced by Iran the construction of their fourth uranium enrichment plant is to take place at the start of March.
It was the head of the countries atomic energy organization Ali Akbar Salehi who made the announcement on state run TV.
Salehi has been tasked by the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to start a program to produce uranium enrichment plants to create energy for the country.
They plan to build up to ten plants over the coming years but there are some doubts over the true reason the plants are being built.
Russia is involved in the project but it is not quite clear exactly what the relationship is. An American spokesman from the white house commented,
“Russia is providing the fuel, and taking the fuel back out”.
So the Americans argue that the relationship as it seems, does not require Iran to build new plants. The Iranian government has come under fire since the decision was announced but they are clear that Russia will start loading a nuclear reactor in the country with fuel next week.
The current uranium sites are situated in Isfahan and Natanz but it is unknown where the new pants are to be located and it seems the Iranian government want it to stay that way.
It has been estimated that the Iranian enrichment procedure has produced around two tonnes of uranium since it started in 2006. This is enough to produce two nuclear bombs and it is this continued development that is worrying many countries around the world.
Salehi has made claims that this procedure has produced over 17 kilograms of nuclear bomb making material. He has boasted about how UN sanctions have not stopped Iran’s nuclear progress and the very fact he seems to be talking about bombs is very concerning.
Iran tried to broker a deal with Basil and Turkey last year which involved swapping low enriched fuel for dangerous high enriched fuel. However the US stepped in and blocked any kind of deal being struck.
Iran denies that any of the process is meant for bombs and all the developments are to help produce more energy for the country. It was announced by the government,
“We in the parliament have tasked the government with producing 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity. That means setting up 20 power plants like Bushehr,” said Boroujerdi. “To supply the fuel needed for these power plants … we should carry out (uranium) enrichment and we are doing it,”
The UN has placed sanctions on Iran but that has made no difference to their activities. The relationship between Iran and the US is getting worse and it is getting closer to a situation where something will have to give.
