Iran dismisses U.S. calls to suspend uranium enrichment
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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast dismissed on Tuesday the U.S. demand on Iran to suspend nuclear enrichment activities.
Commenting on recent remarks made by White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, Mehmanparast said the White House spokesman should have known that when a nuclear power plant is launched in a country, it would need nuclear fuel too.
On Friday, Gibbs said, "Russia is providing fuel (for Iran's Bushehr power plant)," which means that Iran does not need its own enrichment program.
"When Iran's nuclear facilities, including the Bushehr power plant, are launched, it means that some long-term arrangements should be made in advance for supplying fuel for those facilities, " Mehmanparast told reporters at his weekly press briefing.
Meanwhile, on Monday, France asked Iran to respect the UN resolutions on its nuclear program and to suspend the construction of a new uranium enrichment site, the French Foreign Ministry said.
"We are waiting that Iran will act in conformity with its international obligations by making the suspension of all uranium enrichment activities ... We are waiting that Tehran will cooperate and finally agree to engage in substantive negotiations with the Six," the ministry said in a statement.
Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali-Akbar Salehi announced late Sunday the construction of a new uranium enrichment plant scheduled for next year.
"The announcement (of the) construction of a new uranium enrichment site in the first half of 2011 only aggravates the international community's concerns over Iran's nuclear program," the French ministry added.
Also, Kazem Jalali, the spokesman for Iran's Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, on Tuesday commented on the calls for the suspension of Iran's enrichment activities, especially that of the U.S., and said that there is no relationship between the enrichment program and launching of Bushehr power plant.
"Enrichment is Iran's indisputable right and it will follow it seriously," he told the official IRNA news agency.
On the launch of Bushehr power plant, the country's first nuclear power plant, he said that the West wanted to make Iran withdraw from its right but failed.
"Iran pursued its policy and finally managed to launch Bushehr nuclear power plant despite the obstacles created by the West," he was quoted as saying.
Bushehr power plant is built by Russia and is expected to start operating on Aug. 21.
Besides, Mehmanparast said Tuesday Iran is ready to cooperate with "any country," including the United States, in building nuclear power plants in Iran, local satellite Press TV reported.
Asked whether Iran would cooperate with the United States on Iran's future nuclear projects, Mehmanparast said, "we are ready to cooperate with any company from any country which is capable of building such facilities with high standard," the report said.
"These are big economic projects and there will certainly be much competition between different countries," he added.
Asked about the national nuclear program to construct 20 power plants, he said, "We have to take concrete steps to meet the country's nuclear energy needs which has been decided by the parliament."
On Monday, Hossein Ebrahimi, deputy head of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said that Iran is planning to build 20 new nuclear plants.
Mehmanparast further added that the Islamic Republic is ready for construction of nuclear power plants in other countries at higher standards.
Russia's editor-in-chief of the Military Diplomat Magazine Alexander Shaverdov said on Tuesday the inauguration of the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be Iran's great success in the international and regional arenas, improving Iran's regional situation.
In an interview with IRNA, Shaverdov said the launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be an opportunity for promotion of relations between Tehran and Moscow.
The event will open a new phase in Iran-Russia ties, Shaverdov said, expressing Russia's keenness on expansion of cooperation with Iran in various fields.
Shaverdov further said the Bushehr power plant is built based on the international standards and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
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