Iran starts enriching more uranium

Iran has started enriching uranium in a second network of centrifuges, Iran's student news agency ISNA reported yesterday, expanding a programme which the West fears is intended to make nuclear bombs.

ISNA quoted an "informed source" as saying "the injection of gas was carried out" in the past week. "We have obtained the product of the second cascade," the source said.

Uranium UF-6 gas is injected into cylindrical centrifuges which spin at supersonic speeds to produce enriched material. The process can make fuel for power plants or material for atomic bombs.

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, says its atomic programme aims to meet energy needs. But it has failed to convince world powers, who are threatening UN sanctions after Tehran failed to heed a UN demand to halt enrichment work.

US President George W. Bush said in Washington he was aware of "speculation" that Iran has started enriching uranium in a second network of centrifuges.

"Whether they doubled it or not, the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is unacceptable," Mr Bush said. But Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said it was too early to speak about Iran being able to produce weapons-grade uranium, and that he "did not share the concerns about this".

"These are empty centrifuges, you can't produce anything with them, so to speak about enriching uranium is premature," Mr Ivanov said, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

France's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said the report increases the international community's worries about the growth of Iran's capacity to produce fissile material.