Iran enriched uranium to 4.8 per cent, says official

Tehran, May 2: Iran has enriched uranium to 4.8 percent but will not enrich above 5 percent, the head of its atomic energy agency said today, keeping the country's enrichment work within a range used for nuclear power stations.

Experts said uranium enriched to a range of 3 to 5 percent is a low level used in atomic power reactors. Uranium would have to be enriched far higher, to 80 percent or more, to make nuclear weapons, which is what the West fears Iran wants.

Iran said at the end of April it had enriched uranium to more than 4 percent. Prior to that, it had told the UN nuclear watchdog that it had enriched to 3.6 percent, a level confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Reuters

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