Iran has taken only 10 kilograms of low-enriched uranium for additional enrichment, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report received by RIA Novosti.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the Iranian Fars news agency on Thursday that Iran has produced its first stock of 20%-enriched uranium.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said Thursday that Iran's 20% uranium enrichment is proceeding "very well" and that Tehran has the capacity to enrich uranium to 100%.
"We can enrich up to 100%... We have this capacity and capability. But we never
had the intention and we do not have the intention to do so, unless we need [to]," Ali Akbar Salehi told Reuters.
The West suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, but the Islamic Republic insists it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes.
The White House dismissed on Thursday Iran's statements that it can enrich uranium to 20%. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the country's statements are "based on politics, not on physics."
Iran's nuclear activities sparked a new wave of international criticism earlier this week, after the Islamic Republic announced its plans to enrich uranium to 20% purity.
Iran notified the UN nuclear watchdog of plans to produce higher enriched uranium on Monday, saying it could not wait any longer to reach an agreement on international processing of its uranium for its reactor in Tehran.
The move drew stinging criticism from U.S. President Barack Obama who said on Tuesday that Washington and its allies would begin developing "significant" new sanctions against Iran.
He also praised Russia's "forward-leaning" statements on the issue after Russia's security chief Nikolai Patrushev said Iran's actions meant that fears by Western powers over the nature of its nuclear program were "reasonable."
VIENNA, February 11 (RIA Novosti)
