Vienna (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iran has a second facility for uranium enrichment. Tehran has revealed as much in a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). So far, Iran had always claimed to have only a site for uranium enrichment at Natanz. The plant at Natanz, which is controlled by the IAEA, has led to exclusion of the idea that Tehran is working on nuclear weapons. But this new revelation - made public today by anonymous diplomats - raises fears that Iran is closer to building a nuclear bomb.
The Iranian authorities have always claimed that their program is purely peaceful, but Western countries and the international community fear that Tehran is developing atomic weapons.
The news of the letter to the IAEA emerges a few days from the meeting of 5 + 1 (USA, Great Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany) to verify if Iran has halted its nuclear program. If this is not the case, several members of the Security Council would step up sanctions against Tehran.
Russia and China have always been opposed to a hardening of sanctions, but two days ago, President Medvedev has shown that it is a possibility.
China, however, continues to reject sanctions and calls for greater diplomatic engagement.
The new sanctions would also block supplies of refined gasoline to Iran. For the month of September, Beijing provided Tehran 30-40 thousand barrels per day of gasoline.
Yesterday, speaking at the UN General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the acquiescence of the world's countries towards Iran. "The struggle against Iran - he said - pits civilisation against barbarism …History could be reversed if primitive fanaticism acquires deadly weapons”.
