Tehran makes ‘significant progress’ in nuke program

VIENNA - Agence France-Presse

Ex-President Rafsanjani has criticized the decision of the election council. AP photo

Iran is making significant progress in expanding its nuclear program, including in opening up a potential second route to developing the bomb, a new U.N. atomic agency report showed May 22.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) latest quarterly update said Tehran had accelerated the installation of advanced uranium enrichment equipment at its central Natanz plant. It also outlined further progress at a reactor under construction at Arak, also in central Iran, which Western countries fear could provide Iran with plutonium if the fuel is reprocessed.

The U.S. State Department said the report was an “unfortunate milestone” marking a decade of Iran expanding its nuclear activities “in blatant violation of its international obligations.”

Rafsanjani slams authorities

DUBAI - Reuters

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani sharply criticized the country’s leadership, opposition website Kaleme said yesterday, two days after he was disqualified from running in next month’s presidential election. “I don’t think the country could have been run worse, even if it had been planned in advance,” Rafsanjani reportedly said May 22, the website reported. “I don’t want to get stoop to their attacks but ignorance is troubling. Don’t they understand what they’re doing.”