Tehran, June 16: Iran is designing a new nuclear reactor to make radio isotopes that will be “more powerful” than those from its existing Tehran research facility, atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday.
“Iran is designing a reactor to produce radio isotopes which will be more powerful than the Tehran reactor and this reactor will be commissioned soon in the country,” Salehi was quoted as saying on state television website.
Salehi, who oversees Iran’s nuclear programme, said the Tehran wanted to commission several such reactors.
“Our plan is to commission several reactors in the north, south, east and the west of the country so that we can produce radio isotopes for sale and export to the regional and Islamic countries that need them,” Salehi said.
Salehi said Iran has its own “dual-track” policy to deal with the world powers that have been implementing such a strategy against Tehran.
“Our dual-track policy is to have dialogue based on honesty as a first step and, as a second step, to push ahead with our nuclear programme in order to confront the pressure from enemies.”
The US says Iran’s project masks an atomic weapons drive, but Iran denies its nuclear programme is aimed at making weapons, insisting it is for medical and energy purposes.
Iran parliament backs 20 percent uranium enrichment
Parliament speaker Ali Larijani on Wednesday called on Iran’s government to push ahead with its controversial programme to enrich uranium to 20 percent, after being slapped with fresh UN sanctions.
“The Iranian parliament demands that the government continues producing 20 percent enriched uranium and not stop it at all as some countries have not adhered to the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and did not provide fuel for the Tehran research reactor,” Larijani told parliament.
“The bullying countries must understand that their illogical pressure will be proportionately reciprocated by the level of our uranium enrichment which would depend on our needs,” he was quoted as saying on parliament’s website.
Iranian officials have maintained Tehran will keep enriching uranium to 20 percent after the US cold-shouldered a proposal brokered by Brazil and Turkey which aimed at providing the enriched material for the Tehran research reactor.
Uranium enriched to 20 percent level can be used as fuel to power nuclear reactors but if refined to more than 90 percent level it can be used to make the fissile core of an atom bomb.
Larijani also dismissed the new round of sanctions and warned the United States and other countries against searching Iranian ships and planes as specified in the latest punitive measures.
“I am warning the adventurous America and other countries that in case they are tempted to inspect the cargo of Iranian ships and planes, they should rest assured that we will do the same with their ships in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman,” the conservative speaker said.
Around 40 percent of world oil supplies pass through the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
The UN sanctions authorise states to conduct high-sea inspections of vessels believed to be ferrying banned items to or from Iran.
They also provide for cargo inspections, both in any port or at sea, if there is reason to suspect a ship is carrying conventional arms or nuclear missile items for Iran.
The sanctions resolution obligates states to seize and dispose of any prohibited items that are found in such cargo.
—Agencies