Iran approves 10 new nuclear plants

Government orders work to begin on five sites, with locations for a further five to be found, state TV reports
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inspecting the Natanz nuclear plant in central Iran
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inspecting the Natanz nuclear plant in central Iran Photograph: EPA

The Iranian government has approved the construction of 10 new uranium enrichment plants, according to state TV, in a further escalation in the diplomatic battle over the country's nuclear capability.

The Iranian nuclear agency has been told by the government to begin work on five new sites, with locations for a further five to be found in the next two months, the report said. The decision was reportedly made during a cabinet meeting headed by the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, this evening.

It comes shortly after Iran warned it may cut back already limited co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after being censured by the UN watchdog for concealing the existence of a nuclear enrichment plant.

MPs in Tehran today called on Ahmadinejad to reconsider his policy towards the IAEA after Friday's resolution insisting that Iran resume negotiations. It was the first time in nearly four years that Tehran had faced censure by all five permanent members of the UN security council – their rare unanimity reflecting deepening international exasperation over the impasse in nuclear talks.

Ali Larijani, the powerful speaker of the majlis (parliament), said: "If you do not abandon the ridiculous carrot-and-stick policy, we will take a new approach towards you."

The parliament also announced it was allocating $20m (£12.1m) to back unnamed "progressive" groups to combat US and British "conspiracies".

The majlis is dominated by hardliners who maintain pressure on the government to remain defiant despite talk of sanctions being imposed within weeks if nuclear negotiations do not make progress. "Because of world powers' behaviour, the government should submit its plan over reducing the level of Iran's co-operation with the agency," MPs said in a statement.

Parliament can oblige the government to decrease co-operation as it did in 2006, after the Vienna-based agency voted to report Iran to the UN security council. Western diplomats believe, however, that Iran will not burn its bridges with the IAEA for fear of alienating other countries who defend it on the grounds of its legal rights and western double standards.

Iran's formal position is that it is seeking nuclear power for electricity generation, as it is entitled to as a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. But it has failed to dispel suspicions that it is seeking secretly to build a nuclear bomb. September's revelation of the existence of a second enrichment plant near Qom fuelled those suspicions.

The US has warned that its patience is not unlimited, but doors are being left open in the hope that Iran will somehow re-engage.

Underlining the possibility of diplomatic progress, Turkey was reported to be mediating between Iran and the IAEA over a proposal that would see Iran's uranium processed overseas, according to al-Arabiya TV. Turkish-Iranian relations have warmed up in recent months.

Still, there is pessimism in western capitals about the prospect for a breakthrough because of the way the nuclear issue has become enmeshed in Iran's turbulent domestic politics.

Mehi Karroubi, one of the defeated reformist candidates in June's disputed presidential elections, attacked Ahmadinejad at the weekend for his "adventurist" nuclear policy. Karroubi and Mirhossein Mousavi, who says he beat the hardline incumbent, say they plan to keep on leading protests against the government.

Iran's parliament said that the $20m it had authorised would be disbursed by a committee including representatives of the ministries of intelligence, communications, culture and foreign affairs and the Revolutionary Guards, and would be used to target and resist US and British "conspiracies".

The announcement appears to fit in with a new emphasis on using "soft power" to combat Iran's western enemies, which it has repeatedly accused of seeking to foment a "velvet revolution" and orchestrating post-election protests in which dozens were killed in clashes with security forces and thousands detained. The money is being drawn from Iran's oil stabilisation fund. Recipients were not identified but there was speculation that the funds might be earmarked for groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Islamists of Hamas, which Iran also supports.

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