WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (AFP) - The United States expressed great concern Wednesday over a UN nuclear watchdog report that Iran will resume a process that can lead to making nuclear weapons, saying it offered further proof for Security Council action.
Iran has said it will resume large-scale production of the feed material for enriching uranium, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in an apparent further retreat by Tehran from commitments not to build a nuclear bomb.
"We view with great concern the IAEA report that Iran is about to convert 37 tonnes of `yellowcake` uranium into uranium hexaflouride gas, as well as Iran`s recent announcement that it intends to test its gas centrifuges," said John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.
The Iranian move appears to mark a further step away from its commitments to suspend as a confidence-building measure the enrichment process that is crucial to making what can be the explosive core of an atomic bomb.
The news came ahead of an IAEA meeting in Vienna later this month to review the agency`s investigation into US charges that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
This was "further strong evidence of the compelling need to take Iran`s nuclear program to the Security Council, Bolton said.
"The United States will continue to urge other members of the IAEA Board of Governors to join us in this effort, to deal with the Iranian threat to international peace and security," he said.
Uranium enriched to levels of over 80 percent can be used in nuclear weapons but also for peaceful purposes and Iran has insisted on the civilian nature of its program and its right to enrich uranium for fuel.
Iran plans "a large-scale test of (converting) 37 metric tonnes of yellowcake (uranium in mineral form)" into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), the gaseous "feed-stock" for enriching uranium to what can be bomb-grade levels, a senior diplomat close to the IAEA said in Vienna.
The report said the test had been planned for August or September.
Iran had conducted a smaller test in May and June 2004 for making UF6, the report said.
The diplomat said the upcoming production of the uranium hexafluoride would produce a "significant amount" of the gas, an amount that would apparently be enough to produce enough enriched uranium that could produce at least one atom bomb.
"Iran has a record of 18 years of deception and denial about its nuclear activities," said Noel Clay, a US State Department spokesman.
He said the United States had been in regular contact with Britain, France and Germany and "we look forward to working with the Europeans and others" ahead of the IAEA board of governors meeting.
"It is important that we focus on Iran`s failure to comply and on the need for the board to decide on the next steps to take," Clay said. "We will be working with the board to determine the next steps."
Iran had pledged to Britain, France and Germany last October to suspend uranium enrichment in order to show the world community that its atomic intentions were strictly peaceful.
Iran then in February told the so called Euro-3 that it would voluntarily suspend the assembly and testing of centrifuges, the machine used to enrich uranium.
But in June, Iran said it would resume assembling and testing of centrifuges since the Euro-3 had failed to come through on a promise to get the IAEA to stop investigating Iran`s nuclear program.
The report said the Iranians had taken off seals the IAEA had placed to monitor centrifuge manufacture and use at crucial sites.