[ti:Iran Plans to Expand Ability to Enrich Uranium] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Iran's nuclear chief says his country has launched plans [00:06.08]to increase its ability to enrich uranium. [00:11.80]Such a move would intensify pressure on Britain, France and Germany. [00:19.92]Those countries are struggling to prevent collapse of an international agreement [00:27.08]aimed at controlling Iran's nuclear program. [00:32.60]The agreement was weakened after the United States announced [00:38.20]it will withdraw from the deal. [00:41.69]Ali Akbar Salehi is director of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. [00:50.76]He told reporters that the country was developing technology [00:56.12]for building advanced centrifuges at a nuclear center in Natanz. [01:03.42]The city lies about 300 kilometers south of Tehran. [01:11.12]"What we are doing does not violate the (2015 nuclear) agreement, Salehi said. [01:16.92]He added that the government sent a letter Monday [01:21.24]to the International Atomic Energy Commission [01:24.72]about "the start of certain activities." [01:29.92]Salehi said this did not violate the nuclear deal, [01:35.08]but that it marked an increase in the development of the nuclear program. [01:42.20]Iranian state television broadcast his comments. [01:47.52]The country's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, [01:52.52]said on Monday he ordered preparations to expand uranium enrichment capacity [02:00.28]in the event the agreement collapses. [02:04.92]Salehi said Iran could not support a "flawed" nuclear deal [02:11.48]and could not obey new restrictions in the agreement while facing new sanctions. [02:19.80]He noted Iran's position that it is ready to sharply increase its nuclear activity [02:26.92]if the agreement falls apart. [02:29.92]Britain, France and Germany are attempting to save part of the deal [02:37.36]that calls for an easing of sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran's nuclear activities. [02:46.88]The U.S. government has re-established actions designed to punish Iran [02:53.16]since it withdrew from the nuclear deal last month. [02:58.44]At the time, President Donald Trump said Iran was a threat to national security. [03:07.32]Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian, not military purposes. [03:15.60]But Israel, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. [03:20.52]have accused Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb. [03:27.00]Under the deal, Iran can continue to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent. [03:36.12]That is far below the 90-percent required for weapons grade uranium. [03:44.24]The three European powers still support the deal. [03:48.52]But they have concerns about Iran's missile program [03:52.84]and its influence in the Middle East. [03:57.04]I'm Caty Weaver. [03:58.88]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM