President Ahmadinejad declares Iran a nuclear state

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Iran had produced a first batch of uranium enriched to a level of 20 percent and that it was capable of achieving much higher levels of purity – up to 80 per cent.

Iran is now a nuclear state, President Ahmadinejad told a huge rally of supporters on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Today, Iran is celebrating the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians were reported carrying flags and banners through Tehran’s streets in support of the Islamic regime.

State television showed the people, carrying images of the late Islamic leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his successor incumbent leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and moving to Tehran's Azadi (liberty) Square.

In addition to Iranian media, some 300 foreign reporters are covering the celebration in Iran.