Iran says it will begin construction of a new uranium enrichment plant by March

Tehran: Iran's nuclear chief says his country will begin construction of a new uranium enrichment plant by March of next year, a defiant announcement days after the UN approved tougher sanctions.

Ali Akbar Salehi is quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying construction will start by the end of the Iranian calendar year in March.

Iran's government has approved plans for 10 new enrichment facilities that can process uranium gas into fuel for nuclear power plants. The US and other nations fear Iran's expansion of the technology because it can also be used to make material for nuclear warheads. Iran denies such an aim.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday passed a fourth sanctions resolution meant to curtail Iran's nuclear activity.