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Special report: Iran Nuclear Crisis

LONDON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran is still at least two to three years away from building a nuclear weapon, a British leading think tank reported on Wednesday.

"If and when Iran does have 3,000 centrifuges operating smoothly, the IISS estimates it would take an additional 9 - 11 months to produce 25 kg of highly enriched uranium, enough for one implosion-type weapon," said John Chipman, director of London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

"That day is still 2 - 3 years away at the earliest," Chipman said at the launch of the IISS annual publication "The Military Balance."

Iran was on track to complete its goal of producing 3,000 centrifuges by the end of March or shortly thereafter, said Chipman, adding that at least 500 of these had been obtained from the black market.

"Getting the centrifuge cascades to function properly is then another task of an entirely different order of magnitude, which would take at least another year but probably longer," said he.

The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1737 on Dec. 23, 2006, calling on Tehran to suspend its enrichment activities and imposing sanctions on Iran's nuclear and missile programs but was rejected by Iran which vowed to install at least 3,000 centrifuges by the end of March.

This Mar. 20, 2003 file photo shows an F-14 fighter jet. The Pentagon has stopped selling spare parts from its retired fleet of F-14 fighter jets, worrying the parts could eventually go to Iran, CBS News reported Wednesday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon has stopped selling spare parts from its retired fleet of F-14 fighter jets, worrying the parts could eventually go to Iran, CBS News reported Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad: Iran serious in defending absolute nuclear rights

TEHRAN, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that his country is serious in defending its absolute nuclear rights, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying in a cabinet session that "The government has the responsibility to meet the nation's demands, that is implementation of the (Supreme Leader's nuclear) policies."