Iran at starting stage of nuke enrichment: ElBaradei

RIYADH (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Thursday that Iran was still at the starting stage of creating a uranium enrichment plant and that concerns stemmed more from its motivations than the scale of production.

"There are various definitions of industrial scale production. Iran is still at the starting stage of creating a uranium enrichment plant," Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters in Riyadh.

"The fears do not only stem from Iran conducting industrial production but rather Iran's aims behind (enriching uranium) before it has nuclear reactors for electric power generation that need enriched uranium."

ElBaradei was speaking after talks with Abdul-Rahman al-Attiyah, secretary-general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. During his brief visit to Riyadh, ElBaradei also held talks with Saudi King Abdullah.

Iran said on Monday it had begun industrial enrichment of uranium, a process that the West fears the Islamic Republic is mastering so it can make atomic bombs. It also said it had injected uranium gas feedstock into a batch of 3,000 centrifuges it is building.

"(Iran) is still going ahead with the construction of the Natanz reactor ... with the goal of having 54,000 centrifuges. Now it is still at the hundreds stage," ElBaradei said.

Russia, Iran's closest big-power ally, said on Tuesday it was "not aware of any technological breakthroughs" and diplomats who follow the nuclear issue have expressed doubts it had injected uranium gas feedstock into a batch of 3,000 centrifuges it is building.

ElBaradei confirmed that IAEA inspectors were in Iran. They began this week a routine visit to the Natanz facility where Iran carries out its enrichment work, an Iranian official has said, and could provide the first independent assessment of Iran's assertion.

"Since uranium is being enriched under the supervision of the IAEA, this means Iran cannot enrich uranium to the scale that would raise concerns on its use for weapons," he said.

A year ago, the IAEA confirmed that Iran had managed to enrich uranium for the first time in small quantities after a similarly high-profile assertion by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran could make enough material for an atomic bomb in a year with 3,000 centrifuges, if it wanted, but that would require the machines to be running without hitches, Western experts say. ElBaradei said it would take years for Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

"The risk from Iran is not of tomorrow or after tomorrow, we have to understand this. Even those who believe Iran's goal is to produce nuclear weapons, believe this will not happen for years," ElBaradei said.

"The risk is linked to the future possibilities in Iran's intentions, and this will require a global solution for regional security."