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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Iran 'reaches key nuclear goal' | Iran 'reaches key nuclear goal' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Iran has met a key target for its nuclear programme and now has 3,000 centrifuges enriching uranium, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said. | Iran has met a key target for its nuclear programme and now has 3,000 centrifuges enriching uranium, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said. |
| Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran would continue its drive in spite of UN sanctions aimed at forcing a suspension. | |
| Centrifuges enrich uranium to the level required for a power station but also to higher levels for a nuclear bomb. | |
| The West has accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Iran has strongly denied. | The West has accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Iran has strongly denied. |
| IAEA plan | |
| "We have more than 3,000 centrifuges working and every week a new set is installed," Mr Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by Iranian news agencies. | "We have more than 3,000 centrifuges working and every week a new set is installed," Mr Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by Iranian news agencies. |
| TIMELINE: IRAN ENRICHMENT 2003: Enrichment programme that had been hidden for 18 years is uncovered by IAEAFeb 2006: Iran reported to Security Council5 Feb 2007: Diplomats confirm Iranian claims to have set up more than 300 centrifuges in two cascades9 April: Iran claims to be enriching uranium on an "industrial scale". IAEA and Russian officials are sceptical19 April: IAEA document confirms that Iran running more than 1,300 centrifuges in eight cascades 2 September: Iran claims to have 3,000 centrifuges running Q&A: Iran nuclear issue | |
| "[The world powers] were thinking that with each resolution the Iranian nation would retreat. But after each resolution the Iranian nation presented another nuclear achievement." | "[The world powers] were thinking that with each resolution the Iranian nation would retreat. But after each resolution the Iranian nation presented another nuclear achievement." |
| The installation of 3,000 centrifuges is seen by Iran as a key medium-term goal - which it had hoped to reach by March this year - for its nuclear programme. | |
| There has been no independent verification of Iran's claim. | There has been no independent verification of Iran's claim. |
| The UN has already imposed two sets of sanctions and the US is leading the call for a third set if Iran's uranium enrichment does not halt. | |
| Only last week the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had agreed a plan with Iran to clear up key questions about its past nuclear activities, calling it a "significant step forward". | |
| The agency admitted Iran's enrichment programme was continuing but said it was at a slower pace than before. | |
| However, a number of Western diplomats have criticised the agency's plan, accusing Iran of trying to delay the imposition of further UN sanctions while increasing its nuclear capabilities. | |
| The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says on the one hand Iran seems to be talking to resolve the issues but on the other President Ahmadinejad is saying Tehran has now mastered uranium enrichment and the issue should be set aside. | |
| The US and UN are not going to accept that, our correspondent says. | |
| Experts say Iran could have enough material for a bomb within a year if 3,000 centrifuges could operate successfully and non-stop. |