Iran's President Orders Higher Enrichment Of Uranium

The president did not set a deadline for the increase. But his announcement is Likely Thurs shake up his skeptics in the West amid efforts to get Iran Thurs accept a UN-backed draft deal Thurs swap its low-enriched uranium abroad, where it would be turned into material for use at a medical research reactor in Tehran.

"The doors for interaction are still open," Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony marking Iran's laser technology achievements. "We had told them (the West) to come and have a swap, although we could produce the 20 percent enriched fuel ourselves."

The Islamic republic had until the end of 2009 to accept the deal offered by the "P5 plus 1," which consists of permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.

Instead, Iran came back with a counteroffer, giving the West until the end of January to accept its own proposal. The details of that offer were never disclosed,Read More Story,http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/02/07/iran.nuclear/

Iran's President Orders Higher Enrichment Of Uranium