A defiant Iran on Saturday said it had resumed building nuclear centrifuges, saying the move was retaliation for the failure of three European powers to get its file closed at the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency. The announcement by Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi hardened the lines between Iran and the United States, which has been pushing to take Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council. Kharrazi told a press conference that Iran has not resumed enriching uranium but was manufacturing centrifuges in response to the failure in June of Britain, Germany and France to help close Iran's file of possible nuclear nonproliferation violations at the International Atomic Energy Agency. "We still continue suspension on uranium enrichment, meaning that we have not resumed enrichment," Kharrazi said. "But we are not committed to another agreement with them (Britain, Germany and France) on not building centrifuges."
Diplomats said this week that Tehran had resumed building equipment used to make uranium hexaflouride which — when processed in centrifuges — can be enriched to low levels for power generation or high levels for nuclear weapons. In Paris talks, officials from Iran and the European powers are seeking to reach a consensus on Tehran's nuclear program. |