On Monday, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA that it was increasing uranium enrichment from 5 per cent to 20 per cent, and that the following day Tuesday, it will begin the production of high grade fuel. The sequence of events has been reported by news agencies, citing the statement of Ali Akbar Salexi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency.
The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has used the opening of an exhibition of laser technology in Tehran, the capital of Iran to give the appropriate instruction for the commencement of the production of high grade nuclear fuel. Ahmadinejad's statement has come as a surprise to the world: in the beginning of last week, he announced Iran's readiness to ship abroad its low grade enriched uranium for reprocessing to obtain high grade fuel for the country's nuclear reactors. But a few days later, he changed his mind
Western countries have been quick to react to Iran's sudden rethink, and the U.S defense secretary, Robert Gates has spoken of the urgent need to impose tougher sanctions against Tehran. It is quite likely that this time round the draft resolution by America calling for more stringent anti-Iran sanctions will not be vetoed by any of the UN Security Council permanent members. On Friday, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Berlin had declared. "If we don't see any constructive gesture from Iran, we will have to discuss it at the Security Council". Obviously, Ahmadinejad has picked the wrong time to make his latest statement, said Vladimir Isayev, speaking in an interview for VOR.
"If Tehran actually plans to do what President Ahmadinejad said it would, the urgent convening of the UN Security Council becomes inevitable, to debate the imposition of tougher sanctions against Iran, said Isayev. The question of whether Russia and China will back fresh anti-Iran sanctions will then become pertinent. If the slapping of new sanctions against Tehran fails to get Security Council's blessing, then NATO members who are more determined in this regard, will impose their own sanctions against Iran, causing Iran more than a handful of problems, since NATO sanctions will push back the country's economic development several years, especially in the most sensitive sectors".
Russia insists on Iran dispelling the suspicions of the world community about its nuclear programme, but it believes that sanctions should not be viewed as the only method of solving the Iran nuclear problem. Sanctions should be used exclusively to enforce the nonproliferation of weapons, counseled Russia.
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