IRAN: Iran resumed atomic fuel research yesterday, drawing fierce western criticism, and the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the research would involve small-scale enrichment of uranium, useable in power plants or weapons.
"Iran's nuclear research centres have restarted their activities," Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, told state television. He denied Iran intended to produce any nuclear fuel.
The US said any Iranian nuclear enrichment would be a "serious escalation". A White House spokesman also said Iran risked referral to the UN Security Council, which can impose sanctions, if it pursued its present nuclear course.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said: "This step is not in accordance with the spirit or letter of recent IAEA board of governors' resolutions in respect of Iran's nuclear programme.
"In particular, this development is inconsistent with IAEA calls for Iran to re-establish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment activities, pending the restoration of confidence of the international community in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme," Mr Ahern said.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the IAEA, told its 35-nation governing board that Iran intended to carry out limited uranium enrichment at its Natanz facility, where it broke UN seals as IAEA inspectors watched.
Diplomats said the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana planned to meet in Berlin tomorrow to discuss what to do about Iran.