Iran says enrichment of 20% uranium not against NPT

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that Iran's enrichment of 20 percent uranium does not contradict the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the English language satellite Press TV reported.

"Iran has the right to enrich uranium to a level of 20 percent. The peaceful aspect of the enriched uranium is not in contradiction with the NPT," Ramin Mehman-Parast was quoted as saying.

Iran should produce part of the 20-percent enriched uranium inside the country to meet its future needs for a Tehran research reactor, he said.

"However, we will receive the fuel from countries which enrich uranium only if they cooperate with Iran," Press TV quoted him as saying.

Iran handed over a letter on Monday to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) informing it about the Islamic Republic's plan to produce 20 percent enriched uranium inside the country, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

In the letter, Iran asked the IAEA inspectors to monitor the enrichment process, since all of the country's nuclear activities are under the watch of the agency, Iran's envoy to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh told Fars.

Earlier on Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to start work on enriching uranium to a purity of 20 percent.

Source: Xinhua