MP: Number of Iran’s Centrifuges Not Negotiable
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian lawmaker underscored that the number of centrifuges Iran needs is not negotiable, adding that Tehran needs an uranium enrichment capacity of 190,000 Separative Work Units (SWUs).
“Iran’s need is not negotiable ... and that means Iran’s nuclear needs will not be on the negotiation table. Therefore if the first generation centrifuges are considered as one SWU, we will need 190,000 working centrifuges,” member of the parliament's Energy Commission Ebrahim Karkhaneh told Tasnim on Wednesday.
Karkhaneh criticized excessive demands raised by the Group 5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) who had claimed Iran merely needs 10,000 SWUs, and said Iran intends to build its second and third nuclear power plants and will need 190,000 SWUs to meet their needs.
He noted that the Iranian nation's nuclear needs should be taken into consideration during the nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria.
His comments came after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei had warned of West's attempts to curb Tehran's nuclear energy program, underlining that Iran definitely needed an enrichment capacity of 190,000 SWUs.
Since July 2, delegates from Iran and the sextet have launched a fresh round of high-profile talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna in a bid to hammer out a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear case.
The long-awaited accord is aimed at resolving the decade-long standoff on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
