Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 9 / Trend D. Khatinoglu /
The Iranian President stated that 'Tehran' will enrich twenty-percent-uranium necessary for providing a nuclear laboratory with fuel within the country. But expert on nuclear issues Reza Taghizadeh told Trend that Iran is able to enrich twenty-percent uranium but to use this uranium as fuel for 'Tehran' nuclear laboratory. It must be in the form of fuel bar a pipe with .Only the Argentina and France have this technology in the world.
According to Glasgow university professor of Iranian origin Taghizade, high-grade uranium enriched by Iran can not be used for a station. It can be used only for fuel of nuclear weapons.
The United States and the West accused Iran of intention to create nuclear weapon. Iran explained that enrichment of uranium is implemented to provide atomic electric stations with fuel. In 2006, Iran's nuclear program was delivered to the UN Security Council by the IAEA Judicial Council. Up to now the UN Security Council adopted five resolutions to suspend Iran's nuclear program. Three of them envisage economic sanctions against Iran.
In November 2009 the IAEA ex-secretary general Mohammed El Baradei called for Iran to give 3.5-percent-uranium worth 1,200 kilograms to the West envisaged for providing reactor 'Tehran' with fuel and get twenty-percent fuel pipe.
According to head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, from February 9 Iran will produce twenty-percent uranium within the country necessary as fuel for a reactor "Tehran" of nuclear laboratory. Reactor "Tehran" with power of five megawatts was built in the 1960 for the production of radioactive preparations.
Enrichment of a twenty-percent uranium by Iran is a big step towardы producing of nuclear weapons, Taghizadeh said over phone from Glasgow. According to him, the time necessary to enrich uranium to 3.5-30 percent is equal to the time required to enrich it to 30 - 90 percent. "Therefore, Iran will be halfway to the production of 90-percent uranium necessary for nuclear weapons, because it is much more convenient to enrich the twenty-percent uranium to 90 percent," Taghizadeh said.
The expert on nuclear issues said that from a technical point of view Iran has the technique necessary for uranium enrichment (90-95-percent) for military purposes. "In our view, Iran is not bluffing. It is able to do this. Material of Iranian centrifuges of the new generation is composed of graphite. The rotational speed of motors of this type of centrifuges is very high,"Taghizadeh said.
At present, Iran produces centrifuges of new generation called İR4. Official Tehran does not provide information on the number of these centrifuges. But, according to experts, as opposed to previous centrifuges, the effectiveness of new centrifuges is three times more.
According to Taghizadeh, uranium enrichment center Fordu, built near the town of Gum and revealed in November 2009 proves Iran's intention to produce nuclear weapons. "Iran states that it builds plants for enriching uranium to provide atomic electric power plants with fuel. Constant work of 54,000 centrifuges is required to provide 1,000-megawatt station with fuel. But Fordu has 3,000 centrifuges and this number is very small for fuel of the station. This number is big enough to produce fuel for atomic weapons, " Iranian expert, working in Great Britain said.
In late 2009 the IAEA Judicial Council adopted a resolution against this country because of Fordu plant built by Iran secretly. The Iranian side said that it will create another 10 new centers for uranium enrichment.
Taghizadeh said according to Russia's sources, the purity of the uranium enriched by Iran is small. Therefore, despite France was supplied with uranium enriched to twenty percent by Iran for reactor "Tehran", it is impossible to turn it into the fuel tube, ready for use in the reactor. "But slight purity of uranium and mixing with other substances are not a problem for the production of nuclear weapons," Taghizadeh said.
According to Taghizadeh, there is no need for a new technology to produce a twenty-percent uranium. The question is in what sequence and in what part a cascade of centrifuges should be built. It is not a big problem.
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