Iran is to start building its third uranium enrichment plant in early 2011, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed a new law Monday binding Tehran to pursue the controversial work of refining uranium to 20 percent.

The law, Safeguarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's Peaceful Nuclear Achievements, had been passed by lawmakers last month and it also stipulates that Tehran limit its cooperation with the UN's nuclear watchdog, state news agency IRNA reported.

Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi told state television that the search for sites for 10 new uranium enrichment facilities "is in its final stages.

"The construction of one of these will begin by the end of the (current Iranian) year (to March 2011) or the start of next year, inshallah (God willing)."

France warned that Salehi's announcement could be a violation of Iran's obligations towards UN resolutions and said it would increase global "concern" over its nuclear programme.

"If confirmed, this decision would be a fresh violation by Iran of its obligations under six United Nations Security Council resolutions," French foreign ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages said in Paris.

The most recent resolution, dating from June 9, says "without ambiguity" that Iran must not undertake "the construction of any new enrichment facility," Fages said in a statement.

"We expect Iran to comply with its international obligations," Fages added.

Iran is already refining uranium at its main plant in the central city of Natanz and is building a second enrichment facility inside a mountain at Fordo, southwest of Tehran.

Ahmadinejad announced the planned construction of 10 new enrichment plants late in 2009 after Tehran was censured by the UN atomic watchdog over building the Fordo facility.

Iran's uranium enrichment programme is at the heart of its nuclear controversy and the key reason for which a fourth round of UN sanctions was imposed on the Islamic republic on June 9.

The Western powers suspect Tehran's intentions in enriching uranium since the material can be used as fuel to power nuclear reactors as well as to make the fissile core of an atom bomb.

They have been particularly infuriated with Iran for defiantly enriching uranium to the 20-percent level, which theoretically brings it closer to the 90-percent level required to make an atom bomb.

Iran says it is enriching uranium to 20 percent to produce fuel for a research reactor in Tehran and because a potential deal with some of the world powers to supply the required fuel is still embroiled in a deadlock.

On Monday, hardliner Ahmadinejad signed a new law which now obligates his government to continue the 20 percent uranium enrichment work.

Under the new law the government is "obliged to continue its efforts to produce fuel for the Tehran research reactor as well as continue the 20 percent enrichment (of uranium)... and to produce the fuel plates required for the reactor," IRNA reported.

Western countries say Iran does not have the technology to make the actual fuel plates which would power the reactor.

The new law also stipulates that the government "cooperate with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) only under the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty's (NPT) general regulations."

It bans any cooperation that goes beyond the NPT requirements, the English language Press TV said on its website, a measure bound to anger Western powers.

Ahmadinejad ordered in February the refining of uranium to 20 percent after a swap deal, aimed at providing nuclear fuel for the Tehran reactor and drafted by the IAEA in October last year, hit a deadlock.

Brazil and Turkey brokered a counter proposal in Tehran on May 17 under which Iran would send its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for research reactor fuel to be supplied later.

But world powers, who voted through a fourth set of sanctions, have raised questions about the counter proposal as they issued calls for discussing Iran's overall nuclear programme.

Iran says it has responded to their questions and is waiting for an official date for a meeting with the Vienna group to discuss the details of the plan.

The IAEA, the United States, France and Russia, known as the Vienna group, are involved in thrashing out the issue of fuel supply to the Tehran reactor.

earlier related report
Developments in Iranian nuclear standoff
Tehran (AFP) Aug 16, 2010 - Here are the main developments in the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme, a saga that has lasted for the past five years.

The West fears Iran is seeking to develop an atomic bomb, but Tehran insists its only aiming to produce electricity.

2005

- Aug 8: Iran resumes uranium conversion activities at Isfahan. The activities had been suspended since November 2004 in agreement with three EU states (Britain, France and Germany).

2006

- Jan 10: Iran breaks IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) seals at several nuclear research centres.

- Feb 5: Iran ceases to apply the additional protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

- April 11: Iran says it has enriched its first uranium to 3.5 percent purity and later, in May, to 4.8 percent.

- Dec 23: The UN Security Council imposes sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology. It strengthens the sanctions in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

2007

- April 9: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran can produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale.

2008

- July 26: Ahmadinejad says Iran possesses between 5,000 and 6,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges.

2009

- April 9: Iran inaugurates its first nuclear fuel plant at Isfahan and says it has installed 7,000 centrifuges at Natanz.

- June 5: The IAEA says Iran has accumulated 1,339 kilograms of weakly enriched uranium.

- Sept 25-28: Iran reveals a secret uranium enrichment plant near Qom, provoking a chorus of concern.

- Oct 21: The IAEA proposes Iran deliver most of its weakly enriched uranium to Russia for further enrichment to 19.75 percent purity before being transferred to France for processing into fuel, for the Tehran reactor. Iran rejects the offer on November 18.

- Dec 12: Iran proposes it swap 400 kilograms (882 pounds) of low enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. Western negotiators reject the offer.

2010

- Feb 9: Iran starts enriching low enriched uranium to 20 percent purity at Natanz.

- May 17: Iran inks a nuclear fuel swap deal brokered by UN Security Council non-permanent members Brazil and Turkey to ship low enriched uranium to Turkey in return for atomic fuel for its Tehran civilian research reactor.

- June 9: World powers in the UN slap new military and financial sanctions on Iran.

- June 27: The CIA warns Iran has enough low-enriched uranium to make two weapons.

- July 1: President Barack Obama signs the toughest new US sanctions yet into law.

- July 6: Iran says it could resume talks from September 1 with the six world powers. The offer is accepted on the 14th.

- July 26: The EU hammers Iran with fresh sanctions against its energy sector.

- July 30: Iran says it is ready for immediate talks with the United States, Russia and France over an exchange of nuclear fuel and adds it is also against stockpiling higher enriched uranium.

- Aug 3: Washington imposes sanctions on 21 firms in Europe and Japan it believes are front companies for the Iranian government.

- Aug 9: Iran is ready to talk with the US, the adviser to the Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says. He later denies it.

- Aug 13: Moscow and Tehran announce Iran's first nuclear power plant, being built by Russia in the southern city of Bushehr, will formally be launched on August 21.

- Aug 16: Iran announces it is to start building its third uranium enrichment plant in early 2011.

- Ahmadinejad signs a new law binding Tehran to pursue the work of refining uranium to 20 percent and limiting its cooperation with the IAEA.