Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Iran Installing New Generation of Centrifuges

Higher Quality and Speed in Enriching Uranium

Iran said today it is installing new and faster centrifuges to speed up its uranium enrichment. The foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in Tehran that Iran’s new generations of centrifuges are more sufficient machines.

"The installation of new centrifuges with better quality and speed is ongoing. We have announced it and the IAEA has full supervision on them," Mehmanparast said. "This is another confirmation of the Islamic Republic's successful stride in its nuclear activities," he added [IRNA, 19 July].

Iran is expanding its production of 20 percent enriched uranium and has started a new enrichment site at Fordo. Mehmanparast did not say if the new centrifuges are being installed at Fordo.

Iran has over 8,000 centrifuges of the first generation IR-1, enriching uranium to the 3.5 percent level at the country’s original enrichment unit at Natanz. Iran reportedly has already produced four tons of LEU (low enriched uranium of around 3.5 percent) and 60 kilograms of HEU (highly enriched uranium of 20 percent).

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