Iran Starts Working on New Uranium Enrichment Nuclear Plant

Iran has started work on a new uranium enrichment nuclear plant, a senior official said on Monday, part of a big expansion of its nuclear program which has contributed to fears in the West it aims to build a bomb.

Photo: Iran Starts Working on New Uranium Enrichment Nuclear Plant

Defying Western pressure to curb its sensitive nuclear work, Iran announced in November it planned to expand its enrichment activities by building 10 new sites. The announcement was condemned by the United states and its European allies, Washington Post reports.

Ahmadinejad's senior adviser Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi told the ILNA news agency that the hardliner had "approved the locations of the new nuclear sites" and the "construction at these sites will start with his order."

He said that the designs of the new plants were currently under study but did not specify how many new facilities had been approved, AFP informs.