By: Jesse Liebman --
February 11, 2010
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the nation has already manufactured highly enriched nuclear material in defiance of the West, at a huge rally on Thursday that marked the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"The head of the atomic energy organization said the first stock of 20 percent fuel was produced and delivered to scientists," Ahmadinejad said in a speech at Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square before a crowd of thousands.
The process took place in the presence of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear oversight body, at the Natanz facility south of Tehran. I.A.E.A. officials said Thursday they could not confirm the Iranian claim.
"Right now at Natanz we have the capability to enrich uranium to much higher levels," Ahmadinejad said. "It was reported that the first consignment of 20 percent enriched uranium was produced and was put at the disposal of the scientists," Reuters said.
The process of enriching uranium is required for operation of nuclear power plants. Ahmadinejad insists that Iran has no intentions of building nuclear weapons.
"When we say we do not manufacture the bomb, we mean it, and we do not believe in manufacturing a bomb," Ahmadinejad said. "If we wanted to manufacture a bomb, we would announce it."
