Tehran To Press Ahead With Uranium Enrichment

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani.

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization says his country will aggressively pursue enriching uranium.

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani's remarks on the sensitive issue of enrichment come ahead of a meeting scheduled for November 29 in Vienna of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The meeting is to discuss the lack of progress in the IAEA's efforts to verify whether Tehran's atomic activities are peaceful.

Abbasi-Davani was quoted as saying that "most likely this year we will have a substantial growth in centrifuge machines.”

The Iranian calendar year runs to March.

Abbasi Davani also said Iran would "soon test" its heavy-water research reactor under construction in Arak.

The UN and Western powers have imposed sanctions against Iran for pursuing uranium-enrichment work.

The international community suspects Iran's nuclear program has a military dimension -- a charge Tehran denies.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP