US concern as Iran declares nuclear 'self-sufficiency'

In Washington, the White House said the claim raises "additional concerns" but was "not unexpected" since UN sanctions prevent Iran from importing it.

Iranian atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Islamic republic was now "self-sufficient" in the entire nuclear fuel cycle."The West had counted on the possibility of us being in trouble over raw material but today we had the first batch of yellowcake from Gachin mine sent to Isfahan (conversion) facility," Salehi said on state television.
Conversion is the process by which yellowcake is turned into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) for enrichment.

"This calls into further question Iran's intentions and raises additional concerns at a time when Iran needs to address the concerns of the international community," White House official Mike Hammer said.

Analysts believe Iran has nearly exhausted 600 tonnes of yellowcake acquired from South Africa in the 1970s before the Islamic revolution, triggering speculation that a lack of raw material might halt its nuclear programme.

A February 2009 study by the US-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said there was scant evidence at the time that Iran had been able to supplement its dwindling yellowcake supply with domestically mined uranium.

Salehi said Iran still cannot meet "the overall need of the Isfahan facility but...will produce a significant part of it" from Gachin near the Gulf port city of Bandar Abbas.
"Iran has become self-sufficient in the entire fuel cycle, starting from (uranium) exploration, mining and then turning it into yellowcake and converting it to UF6 and then turning it into fuel plates or pellets," he said.

He said Iran would formally notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its yellowcake production, but declined to disclose the amount of the first domestically produced batch.

The announcement comes as Iran prepares for a new round of talks with world powers on its controversial nuclear programme in Geneva tomorrow.

Salehi said it meant Tehran would "go to the negotiations with strength and power."
Uranium enrichment lies at the heart of Western concerns about Iran's nuclear activities as it can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or in highly extended form the fissile core of an atom bomb