TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Iran has resumed its uranium enrichment program by building a second cascade of centrifuges and injecting gas into the system over the past few weeks despite threats of U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program, Iran's semi-official news agency ISNA reported on Friday.
The news brought an immediate response from U.S. President George W. Bush, who said he was aware of the "speculation" that Iran has started enriching uranium in a second network of centrifuges and said it was unacceptable for Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.
"Whether they doubled it or not, the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is unacceptable," Bush said.
But Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said it was too early to speak about Iran being able to produce weapons-grade uranium, and that he "did not share the concerns about this".
"These are empty centrifuges, you can't produce anything with them, so to speak about enriching uranium is premature," Ivanov said, Itar-Tass news agency reported.
The reports of the centrifuges being restarted came almost two months after Tehran ignored an August 31 U.N. Security Council deadline demanding it halt its nuclear program.
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has repeatedly said uranium enrichment is his country's right and will not be abandoned, despite Western fears that Iran's goal is to build nuclear weapons.
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