France raised concerns on Friday after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced a recent nuclear success.

Senior Iranian nuclear officials revealed that the Natanz facility in central Iran now holds around 7,000 working centrifuges to enrich nuclear fuel, according to reports. That is a jump from the 5,600 the International Atomic Energy Agency cited in February.

These are worrying declarations, said French foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier told reporters on Friday, according to Agence France Presse. We need to check the accuracy of the figures ... and for that we'll wait for the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"Iran's nuclear technology success is result of Iran's independence. The independence is a result of the Islamic Revolution of Iran,' Iran's former Speaker Haddad Adil told Trend News.

He said the success demonstrates the Iranian people's determination to keep pace with scientific development worldwide.

The West, especially U.S., France and the UK are suspicious about Iran's development of nuclear energy, which it says is only for peaceful purposes. The UN Security Council has adopted five resolutions so far to halt Iran's nuclear program.

The Cultural Council of the Islamic Revolution of ran has called April 9 a Nuclear Holiday since 2006.