Iran Says It Will Make Own Highly Enriched Uranium If Unavailable From West

Iran has warned that it will produce more highly enriched levels of nuclear fuel if there is no deal with the West to provide it with such material for use in a Tehran medical research reactor, The Associated Press reports.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told state TV on January 2 the West must "make a decision" on Iran's counterproposal that it either sell Tehran 20 percent enriched fuel or swap it for part of Iran's current stock of lower-enriched uranium. 

He said the international community "has one month left" to decide.

U.S. National National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said that Iran "is standing in its own way" on the nuclear issue.

Hammer said the country has no reason to reject an earlier UN-drafted deal that proposed using a third country to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel.

Tehran rejected the deal, saying the West had added too many conditions.

Iran's nuclear program is controverisal. Tehran says it will be used purely for civilian purposes while many Western countries believe it will be used to make a bomb.