BERLIN, April 10 (UPI) -- The German presidency of the European Union said Tuesday it is concerned by Iran's claim that it is ready to begin uranium enrichment on an industrial scale.
"Such a step by Iran would directly contradict the repeated requests by the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors and the binding calls on Iran by the U.N. Security Council, in Resolutions 1737 and 1747, to suspend all enrichment-related activities," the presidency said in a statement. It moreover urged Iran to "comply with the demands of the international community and to create the conditions for a return to the negotiating table and for a solution to the conflict surrounding the Iranian nuclear program."
At a ceremony marking the first anniversary of Iran's first successful uranium enrichment, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country was ready to start industrial-scale enrichment. A high-ranking Iranian energy official said his government was ready to install some 50,000 centrifuges at the Natanz plant.
Uranium enrichment is used in civil nuclear energy but is also the prerequisite to build a nuclear bomb. The move comes just days after the end of a diplomatic spat with Britain over 15 captured sailors and marines, who have since been released.
