Ahmadinejad: Iran won't give up enrichment

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a defiant, yet vague tone on Sunday, telling Iranians during the 28th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that their country would not give up uranium enrichment and had made progress in nuclear fuel cycle technology. But the hard-line leader's remarks, which come days before a UN Security Council deadline demanding Tehran halt enrichment or face further sanctions, fell short of an expected announcement that Iran had started installing 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium at its Natanz plant. "The Iranian nation on Feb. 11, 2007 passed the arduous passes and stabilized its definite (nuclear) right," Ahmadinejad said. He did not elaborate or explain what his comments meant. Ahmadinejad also said Iran's nuclear technology advances will gradually be made public over the course of the next two months until April 9. He did not explain what would happen on that date, but it marks the one year anniversary of Iran's announcement that it had enriched uranium for the first time.