Iran not to shut down underground Fordow enrichment facility: senior lawmaker

Iran will not shut down underground bunker of Fordow uranium enrichment facility as its closure is one of the country's redlines at the nuclear talks with the major world powers, a senior Iranian lawmaker was quoted as saying by Press TV on Sunday.

"Fordow is one of Iran's redlines and will definitely not be closed," said the Chairman of Iran Majlis ( parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi.

Iran has taken measures to make the facility immune against potential bombardment by Israel, said Boroujerdi.

On Saturday, he said the Islamic republic has not halted the enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity.

The remarks by Boroujerdi came as a denial of earlier assertions by another member of the commission, Hossein Naqavi- Hosseini, who said that Iran had stopped the production of 20 percent enriched uranium temporarily.

West's demands to shut down Fordow facility, halt of enrichment of uranium to the level of 20 percent as well as the shipment of Iran's 20 percent enriched uranium stockpile abroad have been among hot topics in the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group, namely the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain plus Germany.

The Islamic republic has announced that West should recognize its enrichment rights according to NPT directives and remove the sanctions on Iran. In return, Iran is ready to negotiate over the level of uranium enrichment inside the country and allow the UN inspectors for snap visits to its nuclear establishments.

Iran and the P5+1 countries held a fresh round of talks in Geneva on Oct. 15-16, and agreed to meet again in the Swiss city on Nov. 7-8.