Iran finds 'new' uranium ore

2006-05-02 22:21

Qom - Iran said on Tuesday it had found uranium ore at three newly discovered sites in the centre of the country, an announcement that appeared designed as a fresh challenge to the drive by the US and allies to curb Tehran's nuclear programme.

Iran already has considerable uranium resources available for its nuclear programme, a fact that called into question the importance of the newly announced discoveries - beyond their propaganda value.

"We have got good news: the discovery of new economically viable deposits of uranium in central Iran," Mohammad Ghannadi, deputy chief for nuclear research and technology, told a conference on Tuesday.

"One is in Khoshoomi region in central Iran. Studies have already been made and samples have already been taken there. The other two are in Charchooleh and Narigan in central Iran," Ghannadi said.

Iran's principal source of uranium is the Saghand mine in the centre of the country, which has the capacity to produce 120 000 metric tons (132 000 tons) of uranium ore per year and is said to be the biggest in the Middle East.

Ghannadi also said Iran's uranium enrichment program was continuing and confirmed reports that a few of centrifuges at the enrichment facility in Natanz failed last month and were replaced.

"It's not a problem," Ghannadi said.

Iran announced on April 11 that it had enriched uranium through cascades of centrifuges for the first time.

Iran 'secretly' trying to build nuclear weapons

Tehran issued the claim in the face of a demand by the UN Security Council that Iran cease enrichment by last Friday until all questions were answered about extent of its nuclear programme and its goal. Enriched uranium is used a fuel for nuclear power generators or in nuclear warheads. As the deadline expired, the International Atomic Energy Agency certified Iran had ignored the suspension demand.

The US and France accuse Iran of secretly trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran says it only wants to use the fuel in reactors for generating electricity.

Representatives of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China discussed the outlines of a Security Council resolution on Iran's nuclear program in Paris on Tuesday.

"I think what we will see unfold is that European governments will put forward following today's (Tuesday's) discussion some form of Chapter 7 resolution, and we'll discuss the form of it," US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters in Paris before the talks began.

- SAPA