Iran constructing nuclear fuel complex: Foreign Minister Salehi

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic is currently constructing a fuel complex despite efforts by Western powers to undermine Iranian nuclear achievements.

Iran is among the few countries that possess the capacity to construct a fuel complex, so Western countries were caught by a surprise discovering Iran’s access to the technology, Salehi said on Tuesday.

Iran requested a 20-percent-enriched fuel supply from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) some two years ago, but they began imposing conditions on the legitimate demand, leaving us with no other option than to produce the fuel on our own, he added.

The minister also dismissed Western media claims about Iran’s inability to produce 20-percent enriched fuel and emphasized that Tehran attaches significance to its political reputation and will not resort to making claims on an issue that is beyond its capabilities.

He also stated that Iran can currently produce the 20-percent-enriched uranium for the production of nuclear fuel plates and is prepared to export services related to nuclear energy to other countries.

On February 15, Iran placed the first indigenous fuel rods into the heart of the Tehran Research Reactor. The fuel rods were produced at the Isfahan nuclear facility and transferred to the Tehran Research Reactor under the supervision of IAEA inspectors.

By placing nuclear plates into the Tehran reactor, Iran has taken the final step in completing the nuclear fuel cycle.