Brazil bans nuclear technology exports to Iran

BRASILIA, Feb 22 (Reuters) Brazil banned the sale and transfer of nuclear equipment and technology to Iran today, citing a United Nations resolution on Tehran's uranium enrichment program.

Brazil began enriching uranium in 2004 and is one of a few countries with the full cycle of technology to make nuclear fuel. It operates two domestic nuclear power plants but does not have a nuclear weapons program.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva issued a decree that prohibits the transfer of nuclear technology to Iran and freezes financial assets with links to Iran's nuclear program.

The decree, published in the official gazette, cited a U N Security Council resolution in December that called on Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment program by February 21.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Thursday that Iran failed to meet the deadline and was expanding research-level enrichment of nuclear fuel into ''industrial scale'' production.

Brazil, which has large uranium reserves in the Amazon, is banned by its constitution from conducting nuclear weapons research.

It is a signatory nation to the Non-proliferation Treaty.

The Lula administration had temporarily blocked non-proliferation inspections when it first tested its enrichment plant, saying it was protecting technological know-how on enrichment centrifuges.

REUTERS PDS RN0044