Special report:Iran Nuclear Crisis

    TEHRAN, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian official has confirmed on Tuesday that Iran had enriched uranium up to 4.8 percent purity,the ISNA news agency reported.

    "Iran has successfully produced enriched uranium up to 4.8 percent. This level can satisfy Iran's demand to produce nuclear energy fuel," Chairman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Gholam Reza Aghazadeh was quoted as saying.

    "Purity of more than 5 percent is not on agenda now," he said,but adding Iran will deploy more than 3,000 centrifuges to upgrade enrichment work soon.

    On April 11, President Ahmadinejad officially declared that Iran has gained ticket to join global nuclear club by having produced 3.5 percent enriched uranium from 164 centrifuges in the central town of Natanz, a technological leap in the process for nuclear power plant construction.

    Enrichment is the process for manufacturing fuel for civil nuclear power devices but uranium more than 90 percent purity can also be used to build an atomic bomb.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Mohamed ElBaradei submitted a report last Friday to the UN Security Council, saying Iran had ignored a non-binding demand to suspendall uranium enrichment before last Friday's deadline.

    The IAEA has prompted calls from Western powers for tougher Security Council action against Iran.

    Foreign ministers of five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China --plus Germany are scheduled to meet in New York on May 9 to discuss response to ElBaradei's report. Enditem