TEHRAN, May 9 (UPI) -- Iran said Monday it will restart its uranium-enrichment activity within the next few days.
"We will lift the first stage of our suspension, which is that of our UCF project in Isfahan, in the next few days," Mohammad Saeedi, deputy chief of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, was quoted Monday by Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency.
The uranium conversion facility in Isfahan can be used to convert the raw form of the radioactive element into gas that can eventually be used in reactors or to make nuclear bombs.
Iran denies the U.S. assertion its nuclear program is to build weapons and says it needs energy.
Britain, France and Germany -- the so-called European Union-3 -- are engaged in talks with Iran to persuade it to renounce its now suspended uranium-enrichment program.
Washington says it backs the EU efforts, but State Department spokesman Tom Casey warned Monday, "A violation of that agreement with the EU-3 and a violation of their pledge would have consequences, and we'd have to look very carefully at what the next steps would be."
The United States and the Europeans have offered Iran a slew of economic incentives to give up the program.
