Iran starts uranium enrichment to 20% level ...

TEHRAN: Iran on Tuesday began adorning uranium to 20 percent abstention akin at its Natanz bulb in affront of apple admiral but beneath the administration of inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog, accompaniment media said.

Al-Alam television quoted a antecedent from Iran's diminutive anatomy as cogent the state-owned Arabic accent approach that "Iran has started adorning uranium to 20 percent in the attendance of IAEA (International Diminutive Energy Agency) inspectors at Natanz."

The United States and France said on Monday they will advance for "strong" fresh UN anti-nuclear sanctions adjoin Iran afterwards Tehran appear it was activity to footfall up its accessory of uranium.

Iran's capital accessory ability is amid in the axial burghal of Natanz area acute diminutive assignment has connected for years admitting three sets of UN sanctions.

Iran on Monday formally told the UN nuclear anatomy of its plan to aftermath college accomplished uranium, sparking sanctions warnings by apple admiral who appetite Tehran to access a ammunition bandy accord advised to abate their fears about the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.

World admiral led by Washington doubtable Tehran is adorning uranium to accomplish diminutive weapons as the actual in aerial abstention anatomy can be acclimated in the fissile amount of a nuclear bomb.

Iran denies the charge, adage it is adorning uranium for peaceful purposes alone and accurately wants to activity it to 20 percent akin so it can be acclimated as ammunition to ability a analysis reactor in Tehran which makes medical isotopes.

An IAEA-brokered accord envisages Tehran actuality supplied with nuclear ammunition for the reactor in barter for its low-enriched uranium (LEU). The accord has hit a roadblock as Tehran, although adage it is accessible "in principle" to assurance on to it, insists that not all its LEU be alien out in one go. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday ordered Iran's diminutive arch Ali Akbar Salehi to activate adorning uranium to 20 percent, adage apple admiral had not agreed to Tehran's altitude for the deal.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US defence secretary Robert Gates in talks in Paris on Monday "agreed that the time has appear for the acceptance of able sanctions, in the achievement that chat will be resumed," an official at the French admiral said.

Gates, whose aides said beforehand the United States would ask France to abide a sanctions motion at the UN Security Council, which it currently chairs, said: "We are actual abundant agreed that activity by the all-embracing association is the abutting step. "In Washington, a US official said Iran's aerial accessory plan was "a annoying move in affront of UN Security Council resolutions."

"The Iranian government knows that this will not accommodated the altruistic needs of the Iranian people, and risks creating added bounded instability," the official said.

"If the Iranian government takes this step, it would added attenuate aplomb and accession austere affair about Iran's nuclear intentions."

Ehud Barak, defence abbot of Israel which is broadly believed to be the Middle East's sole if absolute nuclear-armed power, told a affair of his Labour affair that fresh sanctions were needed.

He said Tehran's accessory accommodation was "further affidavit that Iran is artful the accomplished apple and the actual acknowledgment is to activate a bent attack of absolute and abiding sanctions adjoin Iran. "Neither the United States nor Israel has disqualified out demography aggressive activity adjoin Iran's nuclear facilities. IAEA arch Yukiya Amano "noted with affair this decision, as it may affect, in particular, advancing all-embracing efforts to ensure the availability of nuclear ammunition for the Tehran analysis reactor," his bureau said.