IRAN: Iran announced a technological breakthrough yesterday that could lead to the development of a nuclear bomb, in a move that appeared to catch western governments off guard.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's hardline president, trumpeted the development in a speech last night.
"Dear Iran has joined the club of nuclear countries," he said in the holy city of Mashhad.
Tehran claims it has enriched uranium to a level used in nuclear power plants.
Addressing an invited audience of clerics, military figures and dignitaries, Mr Ahmadinejad made an unabashed appeal to national pride: "The nation, under the umbrella of God's grace and through its own efforts, has reached this big achievement.Today is a big day which will be recorded in Iran's history."
Iranian television broadcast pictures of scientists dancing and waving test tubes apparently marked with chemical symbols. Mr Ahmadinejad, who has threatened to wipe Israel off the map, said the nuclear programme was for purely civilian purposes.
The US, Europe and Israel remain sceptical. The speech, carried live on state TV, was punctuated by chants of "Death to America", "Death to Israel", and "Death to counter-revolutionaries". Tehran's defiance comes after weeks of increasing pressure from the West, including a report that the White House is contemplating a tactical nuclear strike.
Analysts said Iran had shaved the timescale for production of nuclear weapons and predicted it could join the nuclear club within three to five years.
The US expressed dismay. Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said Iran was "moving in the wrong direction" and, if it persisted, the US would discuss possible next steps with other members of the UN security council.
A UK Foreign Office spokesman said the speech was "not particularly helpful".
On March 29th the security council imposed a deadline of April 28th on Iran to stop all uranium enrichment.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN's watchdog, the IAEA, who is to report to the security council on Iran's compliance, will arrive in Tehran today to try to broker a deal.
Despite the nature of the announcement, Mr Ahmadinejad sounded less confrontational than usual and held out the prospect that Mr ElBaradei's mission may not be in vain.
"All our activities have been carried out under the gaze of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and we would like to carry on under their eyes," he said. Some diplomats and analysts in Tehran speculated that the fanfare surrounding the announcement may be a prelude to the regime saying it was ready to bow to UN demands that it suspend enrichment activities and re-enter negotiations.
"Their goal is to claim a very big victory and achievement and say, 'Now that we have reached our goal and public opinion has been satisfied, we will go for compromise with the UN security council and US," said political analyst Saeed Leylaz. - (Guardian service)
Reuters adds: The US said it could not confirm Iran's claim yesterday.
"At this point, I can't confirm any of the technical details," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing. "There is a lot that goes into a technical assessment of where the Iranians might be in their capability in operating a centrifuge cascade, whether it be a small one or a large one...I couldn't offer an assessment for you as to where they stand in that process."
Earlier, the White House warned that Iran's latest declared nuclear advance could accelerate international pressures on Tehran but experts said much depends on whether the claims prove true and whether Russia and China see the same threat Washington does.