Iran Rejects UN Resolution

Iran yesterday rejected a United Nations resolution calling for Tehran to halt its nuclear programme.

Iran said it would expand its efforts to develop nuclear power, which the United States and Europe fear is aimed at making a bomb, and warned that any UN sanctions aimed at halting its uranium enrichment would bring a "painful" response, possibly including a cut in oil exports.

The news came amid reports that Iran had tried to import bomb-making uranium from the African mine that produced the material used to make the Second World War Hiroshima bomb, which killed 140,000 people.

Instead of cutting back, Mr Larijani said, Iran would expand the number of atomic centrifuges it was running. Centrifuges enrich uranium by spinning it at supersonic speeds. Enriched uranium is used in power stations but if it is enriched to a significantly higher degree it can be used in a weapon.

"We will expand nuclear technology at whatever stage it may be necessary and all of Iran's nuclear technology including the [centrifuge] cascades will be expanded," Mr Larijani said.

Iran said in April it had produced enriched uranium from a cascade of 164 centrifuges. It has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it will start installing 3,000 centrifuges later this year, enough to produce material for a nuclear warhead in one year.

Mr Larijani said the expansion of atomic work would be conducted under the supervision of the IAEA, but even that could be in question if Iran felt unfairly treated.

"We do not want to end the supervision of the agency, but you should not do anything to force Iran to do so," he said.

He warned the UN Security Council not to impose sanctions on the world's fourth-biggest exporter of crude oil.

"If they do, we will react in a way that would be painful for them. They should not think that they can hurt us and we would stand still without a reaction," Mr Larijani said.

"We do not want to use the oil weapon, it is they who would impose it upon us. Iran should be allowed to defend its rights in proportion to their stance."

Iranian officials say the UN resolution is illegal and that Tehran has every right to produce fuel from the uranium ore it mines in its central deserts.