Iran Takes Step Toward Nukes

Iran has produced "a few tons" of the gas needed to enrich uranium, a top nuclear official said Wednesday, confirming the country has defied international demands and taken a necessary step toward producing nuclear fuel - or nuclear weapons.

Uranium hexafluoride gas is the material that, in the next stage, is fed into centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Uranium enriched to a low level is used to produce nuclear fuel to generate electricity and enriched further can be used to manufacture atomic bomb.

Iran said last month that it has started converting about 40 tons of raw uranium being mined for enrichment - plans the international community specifically said it found alarming. Iran maintains its intentions are peaceful energy purposes.

"We have converted part of the raw uranium we had and produced a few tons of uranium hexafluoride gas," said Hossein Mousavian, Iran's chief delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency told The Associated Press in an interview. He would not specify how much.

A few tons of raw uranium would produce nearly the same amount of hexafluoride gas.

"We are not in a hurry to do it. The few tons of uranium gas we've produced is an experimental process, not industrial production," Mousavian said.

Mousavian, who also heads the Foreign Policy Committee at Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council, said the process was under full IAEA supervision. "The agency knows of every milligram of uranium converted," he said.

In Vienna, IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming agreed the process was "being done fully under IAEA's watch," but said she could not immediately confirm how far the Iranians had gotten.

"Inspectors are visiting that facility and we have other verification tools that are providing us with constant information about the operation of that facility," Fleming said.

A diplomat close to the agency told the AP in Vienna that although the conversion does not contradict Iran's obligations, it will be viewed by some countries as a provocation.

Iran has thus far said it is honoring a pledge not to put uranium hexafluoride gas into centrifuges, spin it and make enriched uranium.

Last month, the IAEA's board of governors unanimously passed a resolution demanding for the first time that Iran freeze all work on uranium enrichment including conversion. It specifically expressed alarm at Iranian plans to convert the more than 40 tons of raw uranium into uranium hexafluoride.

At the time, the board suggested Iran may have to answer to the U.N. Security Council if it defied the demands. The resolution said the next board meeting, scheduled for Nov. 25, would "decide whether or not further steps are appropriate" in ensuring Iran complies.

A diplomat familiar with Iran's conversion activities told the AP in Vienna last month that Iran had stopped at a precursor of uranium hexafluoride - apparently waiting for a decision from the leadership to finish the process.

Mousavian was clear Wednesday that Iran had produced the actual gas.

He said Iran is ready to guarantee that its nuclear program will not be diverted to a military use and take specific measures to eliminate concerns about Tehran's nuclear program.

"IAEA is the responsible body for nonproliferation. Iran is prepared to consider any IAEA proposal to take specific measures that its nuclear program will not be diverted toward weapons in the future. The specific measures should be defined by IAEA," he said.

Mousavian warned the international community, not Iran, will suffer if Iran is referred to the U.N. Security Council and sanctioned. He reiterated Iranian warnings that Tehran will stop implementing what is known as the additional protocol to Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which allows unfettered IAEA inspections of Iranian facilities.

"Referring Iran to U.N. will not change the nuclear capability we already possess. The victim will be the additional protocol and NPT (nonproliferation treaty), not Iran," he said.

Mousavian noted Iran has allowed international inspections of its facilities, including military sites.

"Up to now, Iran has not rejected a single IAEA request for inspections," he said. "This is the maximum of transparency and cooperation a member state can have with IAEA."

By Ali Akbar Dareini