Voice of America,
7 February 2010

Iran`s President Orders Higher Enrichment of Uranium

Iran`s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered the production of higher-enriched uranium, casting doubt prospects of a nuclear exchange deal with the West.

Iran`s president has ordered his country`s atomic agency to begin producing higher-enriched uranium, a move that casts doubt on the prospects of a nuclear exchange deal with the West.

In comments broadcast Sunday on state-run television, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he has asked the head of the atomic energy agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, to begin enriching uranium to 20%. Iran says the uranium would be used to fuel a research reactor.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Saturday he sees no indication that a nuclear deal is close between Iran and a group of world powers, despite claims by Tehran. Under the U.N.-backed proposal, Iran would send its low-enriched uranium abroad in return for higher-grade nuclear fuel.

The United States and other nations believe Iran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Friday, at an international security conference in Germany, that Iran was nearing agreement with world powers on a nuclear fuel exchange.

On Saturday, Mottaki said he had a "very good meeting" with the IAEA chief Yukiya Amano on the sidelines of the Munich security conference, in which they discussed the nuclear proposal. Amano told reporters he wanted dialogue with Iran to be accelerated.

The major players involved in the discussion over Iran`s nuclear program are the five members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain -- plus Germany, a group known as the P5 plus 1.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.