国际英语新闻：Iran to maintain high-grade uranium enrichment, build more plants

TEHRAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran announced on Monday it will maintain high-grade uranium enrichment and will construct more uranium enrichment plants, the local satellite Press TV reported.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday announced a law to instruct the government to push ahead with the ongoing 20- percent uranium enrichment, the report said.

According to the law, which has already been approved by the Majlis (Parliament) and the Guardian Council, the top legislating body of the country, the government is obliged to press ahead with the 20-percent uranium enrichment to supply and deliver the fuel needed by the Tehran medical research reactor, the report said.

Currently, Iran, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent in Natanz enrichment facilities in central Iran which is criticized by the West.

Besides, the law requires the Iranian government to cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) only within the framework of the NPT and should not fulfill demands going beyond the NPT requirements, the Press TV reported.

The government, is also urged by the law to invest in different aspects of nuclear technology to bring the nation to "full nuclear independence," according to the report.