Iran defiant in nuclear row ahead of Geneva talks

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran voiced defiance on Saturday in the face of Western condemnation over a new nuclear fuel plant, with a senior official saying the facility would soon be operational and make the "enemies blind."

U.S. President Barack Obama demanded on Friday that Iran come clean about its nuclear program or risk "sanctions that bite" after the disclosure of the new uranium enrichment plant under construction southwest of Tehran.

On Saturday, Obama said the discovery of the facility showed a "disturbing pattern" of evasion by Tehran which added urgency to its planned talks with world powers in Geneva on Thursday.

The West accuses Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists its nuclear activities are aimed at generating electricity so that it can export more oil and gas.

Iran acknowledged the existence of the uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom for the first time on Monday in a letter to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency.

U.S. officials said the disclosure was aimed at pre-empting an announcement by Western governments, which were aware of the site, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the facility was legal and open for inspection by the IAEA.