(Press TV website) - After Iran announced its decision to start enriching uranium to a 20 percent level, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said the process does not contradict the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"Iran has the right to enrich uranium to a level of 20 percent. The peaceful aspect of the enriched uranium is not in contradiction with the NPT," Ramin Mehmanparast told the Iranian Labor News Agency.

He added that Iran should produce part of the 20-percent enriched uranium inside the country to meet its future needs for the Tehran research reactor.

"However, we will receive the fuel from countries which enrich uranium only if they cooperate with Iran," Mehmanparast said.

The spokesman made the comment after President Ahmadinejad tasked Iran's atomic chief with enriching uranium to 20 percent in order to meet the demands of the country's cancer patients.