Iran plans to install 6,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium, IAEA says
Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it plans to install more than 6,000 new centrifuges to enrich uranium, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said.
The report came as Iran prepared to hold talks with Britain, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday over its nuclear programme. Both sides agreed to continue diplomatic dialogue after the talks.
By also bringing more centrifuges already in place online, the confidential report outlined what Iran meant following a censure by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed last week at the request of Britain, France, Germany and the United States.
Iran had previously agreed to a demand by the UN agency to cap its stock of high-enriched uranium up to only 60 percent purity, well below the weapons-grade enriched level of 90 percent needed for a bomb.
According to the IAEA, Iran also intends to install 18 extra cascades of IR-4 centrifuges at that Natanz plant, each with 166 machines, the greater capacity meaning that it can enrich uranium at a faster pace, potentially increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation.
