Iran to build new nuclear site in March

Iran's nuclear chief defiant following new UN sanctions.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
iranian nuclear 298 ap (photo credit: AP [file])
iranian nuclear 298 ap
(photo credit: AP [file])
Iran's nuclear chief says his country will begin construction of a new uranium enrichment plant by March of next year, a defiant announcement days after the UN approved tougher sanctions.
Ali Akbar Salehi is quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying construction will start by the end of the Iranian calendar year in March.
Iran's government has approved plans for 10 new enrichment facilities that can process uranium gas into fuel for nuclear power plants.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday passed a fourth sanctions resolution meant to curtail Iran's nuclear activity.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday said US President Barack Obama had made a "big mistake" in seeking to punish Iran over its nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad, visiting China, said the latest United Nations resolution, approved Wednesday, was "a worthless piece of paper" and would have little impact.
The effect, if any, he told reporters, would be to accelerate Iran's own development. "The US president thinks by accusing the nation of Iran he can undermine the role of our country in the world. I think President Obama has made a big mistake," Ahmadinejad said, accusing the US of hypocrisy for leading the drive to censure his country.