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Not a threat to others including Israel: Iran

Atul Aneja

Tehran takes another step in the nuclear programme

DUBAI: Iran formally opened its heavy water facility on Saturday, notwithstanding a call by the United Nations to freeze nuclear activity.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the plant, which can produce 16 tonnes of heavy water in a year. Heavy water functions as coolant in nuclear reactors, which use natural uranium as fuel. Iran has deposits of natural uranium and is building a heavy water reactor, which is expected to go on stream in 2009.

Expression of self-reliance

Iranian scientists say that the inauguration of the facility is an expression of self-reliance. Iran's Fars news agency quoted the deputy director of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation for Research and Development, Manouchehr Modarri, as saying that the heavy water facility at Arak did not involve any foreign expertise. Plutonium separated from the spent fuel generated by these reactors can be used as the explosive core of an atomic bomb.

Analysts point out that by opening the heavy water facility, Iran has advanced the "second track" in its bid to acquire nuclear know-how. Iran's primary focus, so far, has been on acquiring technology for enriched uranium, which can be used as fuel for generating electricity. Highly enriched uranium can also be used in the manufacture of atomic weapons.

The announcement comes ahead of Thursday's U.N. deadline for Iran to stop uranium enrichment. Defiance by Iran could intensify the debate within the U.N. Security Council on the imposition on economic sanctions against it. Iran has called the Security Council resolution "illegal," and has stressed that it would not stop enrichment as a precondition for talks.

AP reports:

Mr. Ahmadinejad, speaking after inaugurating the plant, said his nation's controversial nuclear programme poses no threat to any other country, even Israel ``which is a definite enemy.''

He declared that Iran would never abandon its nuclear programme and repeated that acquiring nuclear weapons is not the goal.

``Basically, there is no talk of nuclear weapons. There is no discussion of nuclear weapons,'' he said.

Mr. Ahmadinejad affirmed Iran's right to develop nuclear technology even if sanctions are imposed. Despite Mr. Ahmadinejad's insistence that Iran is not a threat to Israel, one senior Israeli lawmaker said the Jewish state must ``prepare itself militarily.'' The Iranian President had last year called for Israel to be ``wiped off the map.'' — AP

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