Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi is making his first overseas visit to Turkey since taking over as the country's foreign minister after his predecessor Manouchehr Mottaki was sacked.

Below are quotes expressing his views about Iran's controversial nuclear programme, of which he is the key driving force:

November 29, 2010:

Soon after a prominent nuclear scientist was killed in a bomb attack blamed by Iran on Israel, Salehi warned "enemies" that they were "playing with fire."

"Don't play with fire. Iranians' patience is limited and if their patience runs out, our enemies will have a bad fate," he said, vowing that Iran "will boost the nuclear movement of the Iranian nation by several times."

July 30, 2010

Salehi clarified that Iran was against stockpiling of uranium enriched to 20 percent level.

"We need 20 percent fuel for the Tehran research reactor at the moment. We have said before that we are producing 20 percent only for our needs. We do not want to stockpile 20 percent fuel."

July 7, 2010:

Salehi acknowledged for the first time that newly imposed UN sanctions "may slow down" Iran's nuclear drive, including its sensitive uranium enrichment work. He was the first one to accept that sanctions could affect the nuclear drive.

"If sanctions are aimed at preventing Iran's nuclear activities … we say they may slow down the work, but will not stop the activities. This is a certainty.

"But on the issue of enrichment, we may face problems with some equipment such as measuring instruments. If we face a problem over this equipment, we will manufacture it."

June 16, 2010

Salehi said Iran plans to construct a new nuclear reactor for radio-isotope production that is "more powerful" than its Tehran research facility.

He said Tehran will be also ready with its first batch of fuel plates for the existing Tehran research centre by September 2011.

"Starting next year (from March 21), we will produce experimental fuel plates. Based on our timetable, we expect the first batch (of actual plates) to be ready by September next year."

World powers dismiss Salehi's remarks about making fuel plates, saying Iran does not possess the technology to make them.

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