Iran tells IAEA it will ramp up nuclear enrichment

Iran on Monday notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it would enrich uranium to a higher level than before, Iran's ambassador at the United Nations in Vienna said, DPA reported.

World powers had hoped they could prevent the Islamic state from ramping up its controversial nuclear programme through a confidence-building deal to have the uranium enriched abroad and turn it into fuel for a medical-use reactor in Tehran.

Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said his country had waited long enough for the other countries involved in this deal drafted by the IAEA - Russia, France and the US - to give the green-light.

"We have given our proposal. But we haven't received any response yet," he told the German Press Agency dpa, referring to counterproposals by Tehran.

IAEA inspectors were invited to monitor the announced nuclear activities, the diplomat said.

The process is to begin Tuesday at the Natanz enrichment plant in central Iran, the country's nuclear chief Ali-Akbar Salehi said in Tehran.