WASHINGTON - The United States is worried about reports that Iran is using the last few days before it is to curtail nuclear activity to produce a gas that can be used to make nuclear weapons, an official said Friday.
"These allegations only heighten our concerns that Iran... continues to pursue nuclear activities and does not honor its commitments," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.
Iran is producing uranium hexaflouride, also known as UF6, which can be used for nuclear fuel or for nuclear weapons, at its new Isfahan uranium conversion facility, according to a diplomat based in Vienna.
But he said it was not unexpected that Iran, whose shadowy nuclear developments have been an international concern for years, would do this before its Monday deadline to temporarily halt nuclear enrichment. The move, he said, is also a way for Iran to demonstrate its capabilities and show the world what it is capable of doing.
"The important thing is that they do, in fact, freeze these facilities starting Monday," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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