Iran to build 10 new enrichment plants

Iran's top nuclear official says the country plans to construct ten more uranium enrichment facilities, which is within its rights according to the IAEA Statute.

"The location of 10 suitable sites for the enrichment is in its final stages, and we will soon present a report to the president," Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

He noted that the government tasked the AEOI with beginning its efforts to select the sites for the new enrichment facilities nine months ago. Salehi added that the construction of one of the new sites could begin as soon as or even before the next Iranian New Year, which occurs on March 21, 2011.

Asked if the decision runs contrary to the sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program, he said, "Sanctions are not the basis for our activities and we act based on our rights according to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency Statute," the Fars news agency quoted him as saying.

Iran believes the sanctions, which have been imposed on the Islamic Republic by countries that have clout, are unfair, Salehi stated. Tehran has repeatedly declared that it will never relinquish the legitimate nuclear rights of the Iranian nation, no matter how much pressure the Western powers impose on the country.


/Press TV/