Iran to Start Nuke Activities in Isfahan Shortly
March 03, 2003 Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA
Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and representative from Semnan in the Assembly of Experts Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rowhani said here Monday Iran would inaugurate its nuclear sites in Isfahan in the early new Iranian year.(starting March 21)
Speaking in the Imam Khomeini Mosque, Rowhani said the Natanz nuclear plant would enrich the uranium extracted in Iran's Yazd province to provide the fuel necessary for other nuclear power plants.
He said the gigantic nuclear site of Isfahan was constructed over the last two years adding that the use of the nuclear technology would reinforce the authority of Iran's system.
The nuclear technology is a complex one in which Iran has invested a lot, Rowhani added.
Iran has today acceded to the technology of enriching the uranium, he said while explaining that this would not mean that Iran has acceded to the atomic bombs.
He reiterated that Iran would continue its nuclear plans for the peaceful purposes.
Rowhani noted that with the inauguration of the Natanz sites, Iran would achieve self-sufficiency in the sphere of production of the necessary fuel to run the nuclear power stations.
US officials were cited late last year as alleging that American satellites had spotted two sites, which suggested they could be used for making nuclear weapons.
Iran strongly rejected the allegations and reiterated that the two plants were intended to generate electricity.
Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said recently Iran has plans to produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity from nuclear plants in the next 20 years while clarifying that the launch of these two centers are aimed at producing necessary fuel for these plants.
The comments came after President Mohammad Khatami announced for the first time that Iran had started excavating uranium ore from a mine, 200 km from the central city of Yazd, to produce fuel for its nuclear plants.
Despite Washington's unease, President Khatami's announcement was taken with no qualms by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its chief Mohamed Elbaradei announced his readiness to visit Iran on February 25 while Tehran asked the date to be brought ahead to February 23.
After a visit to the under-construction nuclear energy facility in central Natanz, the IAEA head reaffirmed Iran's nuclear activities were for peaceful purposes.