April 09, 2007
Iran Announces Large-Scale Nuclear Enrichment
On the first anniversary of its announcement that it successfully enriched uranium, Iran told the world today that it had entered a second, "industrial" phase of uranium production, BBC News' Web site reports.
The country's atomic agency chief, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, made the announcement during a speech at the Natanz facility today. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to give an address there later.
Tehran insists it is embarking on a nuclear program to help with its energy needs, but nations including the United States remain convinced the oil-rich enemy of Israel has more sinister motives. Some foreign diplomats were on hand there to help Iranians celebrate the nuclear anniversary, which was hailed as a mark of achievement and progress, but EU representatives boycotted the festivities, citing Iran's refusal to cooperate with the U.N.'s atomic agency watchdog.
Such protests seem to have done little to temper Iranians' jubilant mood. AP reports, "Across Iran, school bells rang to mark the 'national day of nuclear energy.' The government sent out SMS messages of congratulations for the occasion to millions of mobile phone users."
