Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has instructed Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation to begin enriching uranium for use as nuclear fuel, casting doubt on the prospect of a deal with the West.
Ahmadinejad's comments on Sunday, carried on state television, were directed at Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads the atomic energy body and who was sitting in the audience at the time of the speech.
"I [ask] Dr Salehi to start work on the production of 20 per cent fuel using centrifuges," Ahmadinejad said.
But he continued: "The doors for interaction are still open."
Iranian officials have repeatedly said their country can make fuel enriched to 20 per cent itself if there is no agreement on obtaining the material from abroad.
But in recent days Iran has seemed close to a deal with the West over shipping its nuclear material abroad to be turned into fuel and then returned.
Countering criticism
Alireza Ronaghi, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, said the president's comments were aimed at countering domestic criticisms of his announcement that Iran was ready to accept the deal.
"President Ahmadeinajd is sending a message to his critics inside the country and within the conservative camp - [to] those who thought he was moving far ahead of the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]," he said,
"This is obviously not going to have a very positive effect [on negotiations with the West] ... the world powers that are involved in the nuclear talks are not very happy about Iran always trying to prove its own capabilities when there is a negotiation going on."
Some Iranian officials have opposed the proposed nuclear deal, saying they would prefer a simultaneous exchange on Iranian soil, a plan rejected by world powers.
The US and Germany said on Saturday that they saw no sign Tehran would make concessions on its nuclear programme, despite recent upbeat comments from Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, over the prospect of a deal.
The West fears Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, but Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for purely civilian purposes.
'Dangerous and unacceptable'
John Kerry, the US senator, who was in Munich attending an international security conference, told Al Jazeera that Ahmadinejad's comments were "confusing" and "unfortunate".
"I think Iran keeps missing the global community's generous messages about how to defuse a crisis," he said.
"He [Ahmadinejad] seems only to understand confrontation and he's on a good path to get it the way he's going. I think it's very sad, obviously there are lots of pressures within Iran that are at play here, and so I think the western community just needs to proceed down the road steadily, with determination.
"A nuclear Iran in it's current context is dangerous and unacceptable, that has been the policy of every nation that I know of that has been involved in trying to persuade Iran otherwise."
Source: Al Jazeera
Ahmadinejad's comments on Sunday, carried on state television, were directed at Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads the atomic energy body and who was sitting in the audience at the time of the speech.
"I [ask] Dr Salehi to start work on the production of 20 per cent fuel using centrifuges," Ahmadinejad said.
But he continued: "The doors for interaction are still open."
Iranian officials have repeatedly said their country can make fuel enriched to 20 per cent itself if there is no agreement on obtaining the material from abroad.
But in recent days Iran has seemed close to a deal with the West over shipping its nuclear material abroad to be turned into fuel and then returned.
Countering criticism
Alireza Ronaghi, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, said the president's comments were aimed at countering domestic criticisms of his announcement that Iran was ready to accept the deal.
"President Ahmadeinajd is sending a message to his critics inside the country and within the conservative camp - [to] those who thought he was moving far ahead of the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]," he said,
"This is obviously not going to have a very positive effect [on negotiations with the West] ... the world powers that are involved in the nuclear talks are not very happy about Iran always trying to prove its own capabilities when there is a negotiation going on."
Some Iranian officials have opposed the proposed nuclear deal, saying they would prefer a simultaneous exchange on Iranian soil, a plan rejected by world powers.
The US and Germany said on Saturday that they saw no sign Tehran would make concessions on its nuclear programme, despite recent upbeat comments from Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, over the prospect of a deal.
The West fears Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, but Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for purely civilian purposes.
'Dangerous and unacceptable'
John Kerry, the US senator, who was in Munich attending an international security conference, told Al Jazeera that Ahmadinejad's comments were "confusing" and "unfortunate".
"I think Iran keeps missing the global community's generous messages about how to defuse a crisis," he said.
"He [Ahmadinejad] seems only to understand confrontation and he's on a good path to get it the way he's going. I think it's very sad, obviously there are lots of pressures within Iran that are at play here, and so I think the western community just needs to proceed down the road steadily, with determination.
"A nuclear Iran in it's current context is dangerous and unacceptable, that has been the policy of every nation that I know of that has been involved in trying to persuade Iran otherwise."
Source: Al Jazeera
