Global General

Iran won't stop uranium enrichment

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-08 06:42

TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Tuesday in a press conference in Tehran that the country will never stop uranium enrichment.

Asked whether Iran will stop uranium enrichment in exchange for any proposal by the five permanent members of United Nations Security Council plus Germany (G5+1), the Iranian president briefly answered "no".

About the current status of Iran's nuclear activities, Ahmadinejad reiterated that the Iranian nuclear train "has neither brakes nor the rear gear," implying that the country is determined to push forward the program.

Ahmadinejad rejected the idea that Iran's nuclear program has slowed down, adding that there is no technical problem in Iran's nuclear facilities.

All the centrifuges are working and the new generation of centrifuges will be generated, he added.

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Iran is also enriching uranium to the level of 20 percent at the present time, he said.

The president emphasized that Iran is pursuing its own legal right in the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) regulations, saying that the reason that the West is mounting pressure on Iran is to stop Iran from making progress.

The West is against Iran's independence and progress by using " nuclear issue as a pretext and excuse," he said.

"We are always ready for talks (with the West) for cooperation and understanding," he said, adding that the West needs to change its approach from confrontation to cooperation with Iran.

In January, six world powers wrapped up crucial nuclear talks with Iran in Istanbul but failed to reach any agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

Asked about the condition of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant and its inauguration ceremony, Ahmadinejad said the construction of the plant has already been completed and it is ready for launch.

The power plant is at the stage of testing procedure and will be inaugurated in the near future, he said.

Ahmadinejad added that his forthcoming meeting with the Russian President Dimitry Medvedev may include discussions on the country' s nuclear power plant.

Construction of the Bushehr plant was started in 1975 by several German companies. However, the work halted when the United States imposed an embargo on hi-tech supplies to Iran after the country's 1979 revolution. Russia signed a contract with Iran to complete the construction in 1998.

Completion of the plant's construction was postponed several times by mounting technical and financial challenges and pressure from the US.

The West suspects that Iran's uranium enrichment may be meant for producing nuclear weapons, which has been denied by Iranian officials.