Saturday, August 26, 2006

Iran opens nuclear generator

Iran opened a heavy-water nuclear production plant Saturday raising the possibility of United Nations sanctions.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the generator declaring that his nations was only interested in peaceful energy production.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, inaugurates a heavy-water nuclear generator in Arak, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006. The heavy-water production plant went into operation despite U.N. demands that Iran roll back its nuclear program. Tehran says is for peaceful purposes but Western countries fear could eventually be used to develop a nuclear bomb. (AP Photo/ ISNA, Arash Khamoushi)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, inaugurates a heavy-water nuclear generator in Arak, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006. Tehran says the plant is for peaceful purposes but Western countries fear it could eventually be used to develop a nuclear bomb. AP Photo/ ISNA, Arash Khamoushi via Yahoo News.

"There is no discussion of nuclear weapons," he said. "We are not a threat to anybody even the Zionist regime, which is a definite enemy for the people of the region."

Israeli legislator Ephraim Sneh of the Labor Party said in response to the Iranian move that Israel should "prepare itself militarily."