New Iranian Centrifuges Installed in Basement of Natanz Nuclear Site: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian news agency reported on Tuesday that the new centrifuge machines that the country has brought into operation for uranium enrichment have been installed at the basement of a nuclear site in Natanz, the central province of Isfahan.
According to Nour News, the centrifuge machines into which the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has begun to inject uranium gas are of the IR-1 and IR-6 types that have already been installed and prepared for operation at Ahmadi Roshan nuclear site in Natanz.
The report noted that the centrifuges that have come into service are located in the shops constructed at the basement of Natanz nuclear site, saying the facility has suitable security and protective conditions in terms of civil defense standards.
On Monday, the spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran said an order has been issued in the evening to bring into operation hundreds of new centrifuges, including the IR-1 and advanced IR-6 machines.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has been informed about the new decision, Behrouz Kamalvandi added, saying the new centrifuges have come into service in accordance with the ‘Strategic Action’ on lifting the sanctions and safeguarding national interests, ratified by the Parliament in October 2020, and to fulfill the country’s need for a minimum uranium enrichment capacity of 190,000 Separative Work Units (SWUs).
The centrifuges have already been installed, Kamalvandi said, adding that the process of coming into service of 500 IR-6 machines will take 10 to 15 days.