TEHRAN, Iran — Iran warned Saturday that it will enrich uranium to a higher level needed to power a research reactor if talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog and world powers fail to help Iran obtain the fuel from abroad.
Such a step would heighten tensions in the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program that are already running high over last month’s revelation that the country is building a second enrichment facility.
The United States and its partners in the negotiations want Tehran to send some of its low- enriched uranium to Russia to further process the material for use in a medical research reactor in the Iranian capital.
Ali Shirzadian, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Iran will proceed to enrich its uranium to the higher level of about 20 percent needed for the Tehran reactor if no deal is reached in talks Oct. 19 in Vienna. That is still well below the 90 percent level of enrichment needed for nuclear weapons.
The Associated Press
