Iran Focus: London, Apr. 12 Russias Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Irans commencing of uranium enrichment was a step in the wrong direction, Russian news agency Interfax reported. Iran Focus
London, Apr. 12 Russias Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Irans commencing of uranium enrichment was a step in the wrong direction, Russian news agency Interfax reported.
On Tuesday, hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Iran had officially joined the group of countries with nuclear capabilities commonly known as the Nuclear Club.
Earlier, Irans nuclear chief announced that Tehran had recently managed to enrich uranium to the level required to make nuclear fuel.
We successfully enriched uranium to 3.5 percent on April 9, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, who heads Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, said.
It runs counter to the IAEA Board of Governors resolutions and a statement by the UN Security Council president, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Krivtsov told Interfax.
The news agency Itar-Tass reported that the Russian Foreign Ministry had called on Tehran to suspend all the uranium enrichment works, including research.
Tehran, however, rejected Moscows call, saying its nuclear program could not be stopped, Reuters reported.
“Iran’s nuclear activities are like a waterfall which has begun to flow. It cannot be stopped,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The United Nations Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement unanimously on March 29 giving Iran 30 days to suspend all of its uranium enrichment activities and resume its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. IAEA director general will travel to Iran on Wednesday and meet with senior Iranian officials.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday that the EU should consider sanctions against Tehran for refusing to heed the demands of the UN.