Sanctions would only encourage enrichment - Iranian expert

Release Date: 2010-08-10

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that Iran has started the next stage toward building a nuclear bomb.

The IAEA says the Islamic state has developed a second set of centrifuges, which can enrich uranium to the 20 per cent threshold which experts fear can be turned into weapons-grade material.

If enriched to around 95 per cent, uranium can be used in building an atomic bomb. Tehran insists its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes only.

According to Sadegh Zibakalam, professor of political science at the University of Tehran, 20 per cent uranium is nothing new to Iran and should not be a matter of concern for the West.

”I do not think anyone should be alarmed by latest Iranian drive towards uranium enrichment because 20 per cent uranium enrichment, which the world is hearing about, is not anything new,” he said. “Iran announced a few months back that it needs a 20 per cent enriched uranium for its experimental reactor, which was actually built by the Americans about 40 years ago, and it uses 20 per cent enriched uranium – it’s produced for radioactive medicine for cancer patients and for agricultural produce.”

”Iran was always provided the 20 per cent enriched uranium for this particular reactor by the International Atomic Agency, but because of the sanctions and because of the dispute between Iran and Five plus One, Iran has not been given the 20 per cent enriched uranium. So Iranians urge IAEA that either you provide us with the 20 per cent uranium or else we have no other alternative but to enrich uranium in Tehran.”

Source: Russia Today

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