As Iran maintains its defiance, announcing plans for 10 new uranium enrichment facilities, the US on Monday said such a step will be a serious violation of its international obligations and will further isolate it. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, This would be yet another serious violation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple UN security council resolutions, and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself. His comments came after Iran's state television reported on Sunday that the cabinet ordered construction to begin at five new sites earmarked for enrichment plants and asked officials to locate sites for another five such facilities. Iran said the announcement has been made in retaliation to a resolution passed last week by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which censored Iran for a newly discovered enrichment site in Qom, kept secret until recently.Friday's IAEA resolution saw China and Russia, which have close links with Tehran, join Britain, France, Germany and the US in condemning Iran over the plant.India also voted in favour of the measure that demanded that Iran should immediately suspend construction of Qom site.