Iran on Monday gave Mongolia's president a tour of its main uranium enrichment plant, the first time that it has opened the site to a foreign leader.

The visit by President Tsakhia Elbegdorj follows a summit of emerging nations in Tehran that Iranian officials said would showcase the failure of Western sanctions to isolate Iran diplomatically.

State TV showed Elbegdorj inspecting centrifuges used to enrich uranium at the facility in the central Iranian town of Natanz. The West says Iran's nuclear program aims at developing weapons technology, but Iran says it is for peaceful purposes such as power generation and cancer treatment.

The broadcast said the Mongolian leader was able to visit whatever he wanted in the plant. It suggested that Elbegdorj endorsed the Iranian claim.

``This site is a unique place. Maybe in other countries it is not possible to visit such a sensitive place,'' he was quoted as saying.  ``I found out how the enriched uranium is being used for peaceful energy.''

Inspectors of the U.N. nuclear agency visit the site regularly, and Iran has in the past allowed foreign diplomats and reporters to enter it as well.

Mongolia is one of the 120 members of the Nonaligned Movement of emerging nations, which last week held its summit in Tehran. Iran said during the meeting that it would open its nuclear sites to participating delegates. (AP)

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이란, 몽골 대통령에게 나탄즈 핵시설 공개


차히야 엘벡도르지 몽골 대통령이 이란 나탄즈의 핵시설을 둘러봤다고 이란 국영TV가 3일 보도했다.

이란 국영TV에 따르면 엘벡도르지 대통령은 나탄즈의 원심분리기 등 장비들을 본 뒤 다른 나라에서는 이런 민감한 장소를 볼 수 없었다고 말했다.

이란은 나탄즈 핵시설을 국제원자력기구(IAEA) 사찰단이나 다른 외국인들에게 개방한 사례가 있지만 자국을 방문중인 외국 정상에게 이 시설을 공개한 것은 처음 있는 일이다.

미국 등 국제사회는 이란이 핵무기 개발을 위해 우라늄을 농축하고 있다고 의심 하고 있으나 이란은 원자력 에너지 자원 확보를 위한 활동일 뿐이라는 말로 대응하고 있다.