Iran plans to triple its capacity to purify uranium later this year when it transfers the work from the central city of Natanz to the Fordo site, the country’s nuclear chief said on Wednesday. “We will transfer the 20 percent enrichment from Natanz to the Fordo site this year, under the supervision of the (International Atomic Energy) Agency,” Fereydoon Abbasi Davani was quoted as saying by state television’s website. “We will also triple the (production) capacity. The 20 percent enrichment will not be stopped at Natanz until the production level is three times higher than its current rate,” he said.
Iran’s uranium enrichment work is currently undertaken in the Natanz nuclear facility, visited regularly by international nuclear inspectors.
The announcement brought immediate condemnation from France, with a foreign ministry spokesman terming Iran’s plans a “provocation” and accusing Tehran of repeated violations of international law. “The announcement is a provocation. It heightens the existing concerns of the international community over the intransigence of the Iranian regime and its constant breaches of international law,” said Bernard Valero. The Fordo plant was built secretly deep inside a mountain near the holy Shiite city of Qom and about 150 kilometres (94 miles) southwest of Tehran. Revelations in 2009 about its construction infuriated the West and prompted the UN to strengthen sanctions against Tehran.
