Iran has informed the UN nuclear watchdog of plans to install more uranium-enriching centrifuges at its Fordow and Natanz plants as well as bring machines recently installed there online, a confidential report by the watchdog says.
The International Atomic Energy Agency report to member states seen by Reuters makes no mention, however, of Iran’s enrichment to up to 60% purity, close to nuclear weapons-grade. Eight new cascades, or clusters, of advanced IR-6 centrifuges at Fordow would enrich to up to 5% purity, Iran informs the IAEA.
Iran’s nuclear deal with Western powers says Tehran can only use first-generation IR-1 centrifuges, which are less efficient, at the underground plant and that those are the only machines with which Iran may accumulate enriched uranium.
Iran recently moved one cascade of 174 IR-2m machines underground at Natanz and is enriching with it.
It already planned to install two more cascades of other advanced models there, in addition to the 5,060 IR-1 machines that have been enriching for years in the plant built for more than 50,000.
