Iran has no intention to build 10 new nuclear plants until it was severely reprimanded by the UN nuclear watchdog over its nuclear activities, a top official said Monday.
Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, told state radio that Iran should give a strong response to the resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Friday demanded that Iran halt construction of its new uranium enrichment factory detect and stop all enrichment activities.
A cabinet meeting chaired by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday approved plans to build 10 industrial-scale plant to enrich uranium, a 10-fold expansion of its nuclear program is likely to significantly increase tensions with theWest.
United States and its allies fear that the facilities to give Iran the capacity to produce weapons, nuclear material and has asked for an immediate halt uranium enrichment.
Iran has denied these allegations, saying its uranium enrichment facilities to produce fuel only for nuclear reactors to generate electricity.
Council of Ministers ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to start building new facilities in the five areas that have been examined and proposed five sites for future construction within two months.
The new sites are to be on the same scale as the only enrichment plant in Iran, other industries are currently in operation near the town of Natanz in central Iran."We have no plans to build many facilities in Natanz, but it seems that the West does not understand Iran's peaceful message," Salehi said.
Salehi, who is also head of Iran's nuclear program, said the IAEA resolution backed by six world powers to Iran, leaving no choice but to give a strong reaction.
"The case of the 5 +1 U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany in the IAEA led to the (Iranian) government approved a proposal to build 10 sites in Natanz," said.
Iran aims to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity through nuclear power plants over the next 20 years. Iranian officials say the new enrichment necessary to produce enough fuel for future nuclear plants.
Ahmadinejad said the Cabinet that Iran would need to install centrifuges at 500,000 plants designed to produce between 250 and 300 tons of fuel a year."It takes more sites to produce nuclear fuel for us. We need at least ten new locations," Ahmadinejad said in remarks broadcast on state television Monday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said this month that nearly 8,600 centrifuges at Natanz had been created, but only about 4,000 were enriching uranium. The plant is designed eventually house 54,000 centrifuges.
But the newly discovered site of Iran's enrichment, which left the last cycle of concern and criticism of Tehran's nuclear intentions is a small place near the holy city of Qom, which will house 3,000 centrifuges.
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