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Iran to Continue Enriching Uranium: Rafsanjani | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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KUWAIT (Reuters) -Iran will continue to enrich uranium, influential former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Monday, as concerns grow over possible U.S. military action against Tehran’s nuclear program.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not intend to stop,” he said when asked about Iran’s success at enriching uranium.

“The Islamic Republic wants to continue along its path,” he told reporters in Kuwait during a visit to the Gulf state.

Last week, Iran announced it had enriched uranium for use in its power stations, stoking a diplomatic row with the West which suspects Tehran is trying to build an atomic bomb. Iran says it is seeking nuclear power to generate electricity.

Rafsanjani, who was speaking through an interpreter, said Iran’s neighbors had nothing to fear from its nuclear program which he said was bound by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“This is a comprehensive treaty and the paths toward any breaches are blocked,” he said.