Iran enriches uranium to 20%
Iran has started enriching uranium to the 20-percent level. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Monday that Iran has moved its enrichment activities to Fordo plant, deep inside the mountains near the central Iranian city of Qom . Iran set the enrichment plan few months ago but it carried out on time tensions between Tehran and the West are escalating. The move envisages new tougher sanctions against Tehran .
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the enrichment represented an escalation of Iranian violations of UN agreements on their nuclear program. The US called on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment and fully cooperate with the IAEA. Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague described the move as "a provocative act that undermines claims that the program is civilian in nature". The French Foreign Ministry announced that France and its EU partners have no choice but imposing an international sanction against Tehran .
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran will not yield to the pressure of sanctions imposed by the West. Iran 's representative to IAEA Ali-Asghar Soltanieh said all of the country's nuclear activities, including those at Fordo enrichment site, are under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog. However, the agency has not yet put forward any comment.