Tehran: An Iranian nuclear official said on Saturday that Tehran was ready for a conditional return to intrusive inspections but that uranium enrichment will continue.
''If the issue is returned to the International Atomic Energy Agency, we will be ready to allow intrusive inspections,'' Mohammed Saeedi, Iran's deputy nuclear chief, told state-run television Saturday.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA chief, confirmed in a report Friday that Iran has successfully produced enriched uranium and has defied a UN Security Council deadline to halt all activities related to uranium enrichment.
Iran barred intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities in February after it was referred to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities that several Western countries suspect are aimed at producing nuclear warheads.
Tehran denies the accusations, saying its program is only for peaceful purposes.
Saeedi said Iran was also ready to address the concerns of the U.S. and its allies over Iran's nuclear program in negotiations.
''What is up for negotiation is to remove concerns of probably few countries in negotiations,'' Saeedi told Iranian television.
Saeedi said Iran was installing two more 164-centrifuge cascades at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, central Iran.
''(Uranium enrichment in) Natanz is continuing its work well ... two others cascades (of 164-machine centrifuges) are being installed,'' he said.
Iran successfully enriched uranium for the first time earlier this month using 164 centrifuges, a significant step toward large-scale production of a material that can be used to fuel nuclear reactors or to build atomic bombs.
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