Amid revelations about a new under-construction nuclear enrichment facility in Iran, the leaders of the United States, France and Britain accuse the country of deception in its pursuit of nuclear energy.
According to the UN nuclear watchdog, the Iranian government in a letter on September 21 informed the agency that it is building a second uranium enrichment plant, allegedly near the central city of Qom.
Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the new plant will produce enriched uranium up to 5 percent, consistent with its nuclear energy program, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported.
Before President Barack Obama of the US, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain made their case against Iran on Friday, the New York Times reported that the secrecy of the project had been breached by Western intelligence agencies before Iran announced its existence.
With the revelation, however, the program, which is one of the most polarizing issues in the world with world powers accusing Iran of seeking nuclear weaponry on one side and developing countries supporting Tehran's right to nuclear energy on the other, has taken a new turn.
Appearing before reporters in Pittsburgh on Friday, Obama charged Iran with attempting to cover the project for years and urged Tehran to re-energize its efforts to build the trust of the international community.
The US president, accompanied by Sarkozy and Brown who are in the city for the meeting of the Group of 20, also urged the UN nuclear watchdog to thoroughly investigate the new plant, which, he said, was a "direct challenge" to international non-proliferation rules.
President Sarkozy seconded Obama's stance and accused the Tehran government of taking the world down a "dangerous" path. He also threatened new sanctions if the leaders of Iran did not change course by December.
"We cannot let the Iranian leaders gain time while the motors are running," Sarkozy said. "Everything must be put on the table."
The news about the new plant comes ahead of a much-anticipated meeting in Geneva on October 1 between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
Iran, already under three rounds of UNSC sanctions, insists that its program is solely for the purpose of producing fuel for nuclear power plants, citing domestic enrichment as the heart of its nuclear policy.
The six, however, are expected to press the country to abandon its enrichment activities.
Prime Minister Brown, who echoed Obama and Sarkozy, said Iran's "serial deception of many years" in its nuclear work demanded a tougher action by the international community.
There is "no choice but to draw a line in the sand," he said.
President Obama, meanwhile, repeated his veiled warning that he delivered before the UN General Assembly, warning that Tehran would "be held accountable to international standards and international law" should it fail to demonstrate its "peaceful intentions."
He also said that the second enrichment facility -- which will reportedly house up to 3,000 centrifuges -- "is inconsistent with a peaceful (nuclear) program."
However, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quick to respond to what appears to be an emerging united stance by the West toward Tehran's nuclear program.
"This does not mean we must inform Mr. Obama's administration of every facility that we have," he told Time in New York as Obama was speaking to reporters in Pittsburgh.
He also warned the US president not to pressure Iran on its nuclear program.
"If I were Obama's adviser, I would definitely advise him to refrain from making this statement because it is definitely a mistake," Ahmadinejad said. "It would definitely be a mistake."
MD/CS
O Presidente do /, , anunciou hoje que tem o segundo centro de enriquecimento de urânio no país "para fins pacíficos". O presidente iraniano disse também que alertou à ONU antecipadamente. Até então, o país tinha apenas o único centro do enriquecimento. As autoridades iranianas confirmaram a existência do centro.

Horas depois, os líderes dos , a  e a  afirmam que o país tem que esclarecer o que se passa com o seu programa nuclear, advertindo governo iraniano de que será responsabilizado perante a comunidade internacional. Esta tomada de posição ocorreu depois das autoridades iranianas terem anunciado que dispõem de um novo centro de enriquecimento de urânio.

O presidente  afirmou que aquela revelação de que o Irão está a construir uma segunda central para o enriquecimento de  e que tem tentado, durante anos esconder, mostra as verdadeiras intenções do governo de /. Obama diz que o Irão tem que dizer a verdade sobre o seu programa nuclear ou, então, terá que ser confrontado com as consequências:



O presidente estadunidense falava na cidade de , menos de uma hora antes das deliberações terem recomeçado no âmbito da Cimeira/Reunião dos G-20.

Obama disse que esta não é a primeira vez que o Irão tentou esconder as suas actividades nucleares do mundo.

O Irão revelou, esta semana, a existência de um centro de enriquecimento subterrâneo, quando descobriu que os serviços secretos ocidentais já sabiam da sua existência. O presidente Obama disse que aquelas instalações, localizadas a 160 kms de Teerão, são mais um sinal de desafio por parte do Irão:



Também o primeiro-ministro britânico,  reagiu:



Por seu lado, o presidente da França,  disse que, para o Irão, o prazo está a expirar. Palavras de Sarkozy, na voz de um intérprete:



A  adiantou que os serviços secretos americanos, franceses e britânicos têm, ao longo dos anos, têm recolhido informações acerca do programa nuclear iraniano.