US voices 'scepticism' over talk of Iranian nuclear progress

Washington on Thursday met with "scepticism" an announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that major advances have been achieved in Iran's nuclear programme.
"I think we certainly could view it with scepticism," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood, commenting on reports that there are some 7,000 centrifuges installed in Iran to enrich uranium.
"Iran has in the past, you know, announced that it is -- it was running a certain number of centrifuges that didn't really pan out with regard to the IAEA's (International Atomic Energy Agency's) own estimate.
"So it's not clear," he said.
For her part, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "Well, first of all, we don't know what to believe about the Iranian programme. We've heard many difference assessments and claims over a number of years."
She added that the United States is involved with talks by world powers with Iran in part to "enforce the international obligations that Iran should be meeting to ensure that the IAEA is the source of credible information."
Hillary Cinton pointed to "a great gap between what the IAEA observed about seven weeks -- six, seven weeks ago and what the Iranians are now claiming."
Ahmadinejad on Thursday declared the major advances at the opening of a nuclear fuel plant. At the event he announced that two high-capacity centrifuges were being tested.
Speaking at the same event, Iran's atomic chief Gholam Reza Aghazadeh said: "Today in Natanz there are around 7,000 centrifuges installed."
On February 25, he said Iran had 6,000 centrifuges installed at the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, in Isfahan province.
Washington and other nations fear that Iran's nuclear programme is aimed at making atomic weapons. Tehran insists its programme is for peaceful purposes only.
Ahmadinejad said Thursday Iran has notched up two achievements -- the manufacture of nuclear fuel and "testing of two kinds of new centrifuges having greater capacity (to enrich uranium) than the existing ones."
In its February 19 report, the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, said 3,964 centrifuges were actively enriching uranium in Natanz.