Iran Defiant in Bid to Enrich Uranium

TEHRAN — Iran said Wednesday that it had processed several tons of uranium to prepare it for enrichment -- a key step in developing nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency demanded last month that Iran stop all enrichment-related activities, and cited the plans to convert milled uranium into uranium hexafluoride gas as particularly alarming. Iran has refused to back down, and its parliament is studying a bill that would require the government to proceed with the enrichment process over any objections.

Hossein Mousavian, Iran’s chief delegate to the IAEA, would not specify how much hexafluoride gas had been produced, but said in an interview that a few tons of milled uranium -- also known as yellowcake -- had been converted.

The conversion process yields nearly the same amount of gas, meaning a few tons would have been produced.

Converting yellowcake into uranium hexafluoride gas does not violate any agreements Iran has signed and was done with the knowledge of the atomic agency.

But last month, the IAEA passed a resolution demanding that Iran freeze all work on uranium enrichment, including conversion. The board suggested that Iran could face U.N. sanctions if it defied the demands.

Uranium hexafluoride gas can be fed into centrifuges to enrich uranium. Uranium enriched to a low level is used to produce nuclear fuel to generate electricity; when enriched further, it can be used to manufacture atomic bombs.

The United States quickly voiced its disapproval over Iran’s latest comments.

Mousavian said the gas produced is for “an experimental process, not industrial production.” It also is less than what experts estimate would be required to make a single bomb -- something Iran insists it has no intention of doing.