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Iran Says Can Produce Nuclear Fuel Rods

   VOA News 08 January 2011

   The  head  of  Iran's  atomic  energy program says the country can now
   produce nuclear fuel rods and plates needed to power nuclear reactors.
   Ali  Akbar  Salehi told Iranian state media, in an interview published
   Saturday,  that  Iran  has  built  a  facility  in the central city of
   Isfahan capable of producing the nuclear fuel.
   He said Western policies towards Iran actually expedited the country's
   nuclear   achievements.   The  reports  did  not  elaborate  on  that
   statement.
   The  development  could complicate efforts to negotiate a nuclear fuel
   swap  with Iran.  The deal, first proposed by the United Nations more
   than  a  year  ago,  would  have  Iran  ship  its  uranium  abroad for
   processing  into  fuel  rods that could be used in its Tehran research
   reactor.
   The concept of the nuclear fuel swap was to reduce Iran's stockpile of
   uranium  in  order to reduce its capacity to produce a nuclear weapon,
   which  many  Western  nations  suspect is the secret purpose of Iran's
   atomic program.  Tehran says its nuclear activities are peaceful.

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