Russian Nuclear Fuel Deliveries Won't Replace Iran's Expanding Nuclear Enrichment Program

Tehran, Iran (AHN) - Despite receiving a shipment of enriched nuclear fuel from Russia for its Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday Iran plans to continue its nuclear enrichment program, the director of Iran's Atomic Energy Program said Monday.

According to Iran-based Press TV, Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh on Monday said the nation was continuing with its plans to build a 360 Megawatt nuclear power plant in the Darkhovein area in Khuzestan province. That means it needs fuel for that, which he says the country plans to produce at its Natanz facilities.

Aqazadeh said Iran needs to enrich enough uranium to fuel the nation's nuclear power plants, which means that it will expand the number of centrifuges it already has at Natanz from 3,000 to 50,000.

And Iran's Supreme National Security Council Chief Negotiator Ali Larijani also spoke out Monday about the issue of Russia's shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran for one of its plants, calling it a positive move, but not something that would stop Iran from continuing its plans to enrich nuclear fuel for other nuclear power plants.

According to Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency, Larijani called it "irrational" to link the issue of enrichment and nuclear knowledge because he said he thinks the two things fall into different categories.

"The fuel of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the issue of enrichment are two different categories. The issue of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant's fuel is not a new issue and plans had already been adopted for its shipment and the shipment project started as of today," Larijani was quoted as saying by IRNA.