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US demands UN sanctions on Iran | US demands UN sanctions on Iran |
(about 2 hours later) | |
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. | |
Iran's defiance must be held to account to save the international community's credibility, Ms Rice said. | |
Her comments come after Tehran said it was taking steps to further develop its nuclear programme. | |
The UN gave Iran an end of August deadline to stop enriching uranium, threatening sanctions if it did not. | |
Iran rejects Western allegations that its nuclear programme has a military aspect, and maintains it is enriching uranium only to generate electricity. | Iran rejects Western allegations that its nuclear programme has a military aspect, and maintains it is enriching uranium only to generate electricity. |
China's UN delegate Li Junhua said it was premature to say that the Security Council was in a position to impose sanctions. | |
But Ms Rice pressed the council to take immediate action. | |
"For the international community to be credible, it must pass a resolution now that holds Iran accountable for its defiance," she said. | |
Capacity doubled | |
A report carried by the Iranian student news agency, Isna, on Wednesday said it has installed a second centrifuge cascade for uranium enrichment. | A report carried by the Iranian student news agency, Isna, on Wednesday said it has installed a second centrifuge cascade for uranium enrichment. |
The report says Iranian scientists intended to start injecting uranium gas into it within days. | The report says Iranian scientists intended to start injecting uranium gas into it within days. |
Iran first produced a small quantity of enriched uranium in February. Scientists were running just one cascade then, made up of 168 centrifuges, the machines that spin uranium gas to enrich it. | Iran first produced a small quantity of enriched uranium in February. Scientists were running just one cascade then, made up of 168 centrifuges, the machines that spin uranium gas to enrich it. |
Now it has emerged that Iran has doubled its capacity by installing a second cascade two weeks ago. | Now it has emerged that Iran has doubled its capacity by installing a second cascade two weeks ago. |
Some reports had suggested Iranian scientists were experiencing technical difficulties. Others said they were going slow, awaiting the outcome of political talks that have now stalled. | Some reports had suggested Iranian scientists were experiencing technical difficulties. Others said they were going slow, awaiting the outcome of political talks that have now stalled. |
Iran had said earlier that it planned to install 3,000 centrifuges at its site in Natanz by the end of this year. | Iran had said earlier that it planned to install 3,000 centrifuges at its site in Natanz by the end of this year. |
To produce industrial-scale nuclear fuel, tens of thousands of centrifuges would be needed. | To produce industrial-scale nuclear fuel, tens of thousands of centrifuges would be needed. |
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