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Iran ready for next step in nuclear program: diplomats+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)VIENNA, March 24_(Kyodo) _ Iran has finished preparations for running a 164-centrifuge cascade for enriching uranium, a move expected to heighten international concern while the U.N. Security Council ponders action on Iran's nuclear program, according to diplomatic sources. The sources said Iran is now ready to introduce uranium hexafluoride gas into a centrifuge cascade at its enrichment plant in Natanz. Running a cascade with 164 centrifuges is a further step toward mastering the technology for industrial-scale enrichment, where thousands of centrifuges are run to produce enriched uranium. By enriching uranium fuel for nuclear reactors, material for nuclear weapons can be produced. Iran had been asked by the International Atomic Energy Agency to suspend enrichment as a confidence-building measure, but restarted enrichment activities in mid-February. Tehran could start the cascade already this week, but may delay introducing uranium hexafluoride gas because of ongoing deliberations at the Security Council in New York, a diplomat said. The council's five veto-wielding powers have so far failed to reach agreement on a Franco-British proposal to have the council call on Iran to suspend all enrichment activities. But talks are expected to continue into next week. The IAEA decided in February to report Iran's case to the Security Council, but left open a window of opportunity for talks until its regular March session, which concluded on March 8. Russia and China are adamant that the IAEA should remain in charge of tackling the unresolved questions about Iran's nuclear program, which the United States and a number of other countries suspect is not only geared toward energy production but also toward acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. |