Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Friday his country has complied with U.N. rules that require it to inform the world body's nuclear agency six months before a uranium enrichment facility becomes operational.
The Iranian leader told a news conference that the new facility won't be operational for 18 months so Iran has not violated any requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"What we did was completely legal, according to the law. We have informed the agency, the agency will come and take a look and produce a report and it's nothing new," he said.
Ahmadinejad met Friday night with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said he expressed "grave concern" about Iran's continued uranium enrichment "as demonstrated by the construction of a new uranium enrichment facility in the country."
"The burden of proof is on Iran" to convince the international community its nuclear program is peaceful, Ban said he told Ahmadinejad, and the country must comply with the IAEA and with U.N. Security Council demands to suspend enrichment and negotiate. Ban said he also told him of concerns about human rights and freedoms in Iran.
President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy accused Iran on Friday of constructing a secret underground uranium enrichment facility and of hiding its existence from international inspectors for years. The charges came at a meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers in Pittsburgh, and a week before direct talks with Tehran over its nuclear program.
"We thought that in the discussions with the 5-plus-1 group, we'll be able to lay the foundations for a long-term cooperation. I don't think what happened was good. I hope they can make up for it," Ahmadinejad said, referring to the Oct. 1 talks that will include the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council _ the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France _ plus Germany.
The disclosure puts heavy new pressure on Tehran to quickly disclose all its nuclear efforts _ including any moves toward weapons development _ "or be held accountable."
Iran acknowledged the facility's existence for the first time in a letter Monday to the Vienna-based IAEA that said the enrichment level would be up to 5 percent, suitable only for peaceful purposes. Weapons-grade material is more than 90 percent enriched.
But Ahmadinejad contended just hours later that, "Iran's activities with respect to the peaceful use of nuclear technology are completely within the framework of IAEA rules and under its supervision."
He contended that enrichment facilities need not be disclosed until six months "before it is infused with gas" and operations begin.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, however, has rejected Iran's contention it must notify the agency of new facilities only six months before operations. The agency says Iran is obliged to make such a notification when it begins design of such facilities.
The Iranians said in March 2007 they were "suspending" the modification to their IAEA safeguards agreement requiring that early notification. But the IAEA countered that a government cannot unilaterally abandon such an agreement.
In countering the charges that the underground facility near the Shiite Islam holy city of Qom, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Tehran, was being hidden, Ahmadinejad said, "we actually informed the agency 18 months ahead of time," he insisted, adding that Obama would regret the statement.
"I'm sure they'll definitely feel sorry about it. I think they probably already regret it and will be regretting it more down the road," Ahmadinejad said. "At the end of the day, this is a very ordinary facility that has been set up, and it's only in the beginning stages."
Speaking at an overflowing news conference, Ahmadinejad dodged a question about whether Iran had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a nuclear weapon, but said Tehran rejects such armaments as "inhumane."
"We believe that nuclear weapons are against humanity, they are inhumane. And that anyone who pursues nuclear weapons or possesses a stockpile of nuclear weapons, for that matter, is retarded politically," he said. "Because this bomb belongs to the last century. Not this new century. It really is ineffective in regulating world affairs."
On Wednesday night, Ahmadinejad addressed the U.N. General Assembly and said Tehran was ready to meet conciliation with conciliation. The Iranian leader issued stinging attacks on the United States and its allies without calling them by name and laced his speech with anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic remarks, prompting a walkout by the U.S. delegation.
The Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions to pressure Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program and start negotiations.
Foreign ministers of six global powers dealing with Iran's nuclear program also met on the sidelines of the General Assembly on Wednesday. They said that they expect Tehran to come clean about its nuclear program at the Oct. 1 talks in Geneva.
