AJC: Iran Set to Step Up Uranium Enrichment

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is urging the international community to respond firmly to Iran's latest plans to accelerate its uranium enrichment. 

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In a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tehran announced that it will install advanced uranium enrichment machines at its Natanz facility. The IAEA released today the letter Iran sent January 23.

"Could it be any clearer that Iran is determined to push ahead with its illicit nuclear program?" said AJC Executive Director David Harris . "Repeatedly defying the UN and IAEA, which have called for a suspension of uranium enrichment, tells the world all it needs to know about Iran's ominous goals."

The announcement comes as Iran continues to delay another meeting with the P5+1 group – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S. – to discuss the nuclear program. Previous meetings resulted in no progress.

AJC applauded the White House for calling the Iranian plan to install advanced
uranium enrichment machines a "provocative step" that further violates UN resolutions.

"Tehran's diplomatic games are by now entirely predictable -- buy time, create false expectations, and lie shamelessly," said Harris. "Let's be clear: Iran's nuclear program is a clear and present threat to regional and global security. It must be confronted with the strongest possible sanctions and political isolation, while leaving all options credibly on the table."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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