Sanctions' threat

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Monday that Iran could face further sanctions if it went ahead with its expansion plans. "What is clear is that if Iran rejects the hand that has reached out, it must expect heavier sanctions," he said in a statement. He went on to say that the international community's patience was not unlimited and called on Iran to work together with the West to resolve the standoff.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, joined the chorus of condemnation, saying that he regretted the Iranian government's "wrong decision" to build more enrichment plants and that he hoped the Iranian leadership would still change its mind.

Iranian state media reported on Sunday that the new plants would be similar in size to the country's main enrichment facility at Natanz.

"We have to reach the level to be able to produce between 250 and 300 tons of fuel per year in the country," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. "And for this we need newer centrifuges with a higher speed."

State broadcaster IRIB said plans for five of the plants had already been drawn up, and construction would commence within the next two months. It added that a search was underway for suitable locations for the other plants.

In addition to the new plants, Iran's parliament called on the country's atomic energy authorities to tighten their cooperation with United Nations nuclear monitors.

"Because of world powers' hasty behavior, the government should submit its plan over reducing Iran's cooperation level with the agency," MPs said in a statement to parliament reported by state radio.

Tough words

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rebuked Tehran on Friday for taking so long to disclose the existence of the Fordow enrichment facility, a secret nuclear site hidden inside a mountain bunker.

Iran only admitted to the site in September, provoking outrage among western countries seeking to negotiate restrictions on Iran's nuclear program.

The IAEA urged Iran to clarify the original purpose of the site, stop construction and confirm that no other sites were being built.

It was a rare show of decisiveness on the part of the IAEA'S 35-member governing council, as China and Russia, which have relatively close ties to Tehran, joined Britain, France, Germany and the United States to condemn the site near the city of Qom in the country's north.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are currently seeking to negotiate a compromise with Iran, whereby Iran would ship part of its low-enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment.

The Security Council fears that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons, despite Tehran's insistence that its nuclear program is designed for civilian use.

On Sunday, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying that Iran could start enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent on its own.

"We will study producing enriched uranium up to the 20 percent purity at Wednesday's meeting of the cabinet," he said, adding "…we will not allow an inch of our nation's right to be wasted."

International condemnation

Britain warned that Iran's building of new enrichment plants would breach UN Security Council resolutions.

"Reports that Iran is considering building more enrichment facilities are clearly a matter of serious concern," a foreign office spokeswoman said.

Washington warned Sunday that "time is running out" for Iran to comply with international nuclear guidelines.

"This would be yet another serious violation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple UN Security Council resolutions, and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

President Barack Obama's administration has advocated a policy of dialogue with Tehran but has also not ruled out new sanctions if Iran continues to pursue suspect nuclear activities.

However, it is unclear whether China or Russia are any more willing than they have been to date to agree to harsher sanctions.

rm/nw/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Kyle James