Iran installs new enrichment centrifuges
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E-mail Xinhua, February 22, 2013
Iran has started the installation of advanced centrifuge at one of its main uranium enrichment plant, but slowed its 20 percent enriched uranium stockpiling, a UN report said on Thursday.
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the Natanz uranium enrichment facilities south of the capital Tehran, in April 2008. Iran has begun installing next-generation equipment at one of its main nuclear plants, a new IAEA report said, drawing condemnation from the United States, Britain and Israel five days before Iranian talks with world powers. |
The report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirm that Iran had started the installation of IR-2m centrifuges, a new model of Iran's centrifuges, which could significantly boost Iran's uranium capacity, at Natanz fuel enrichment plant.
However, Iran stressed the advanced centrifuges would be applied to produce 5-percent enriched uranium, after informing the IAEA about the installation.
The report also revealed that Iran had fed 28 kg of its 20 percent enriched uranium into the conversion process since December 2012, a process making it difficult to use the converted material to produce a nuclear bomb, leaving 167 kg 20 percent enriched uranium stockpile.
Mid-level enriched uranium stockpile increased by 32 kg, a lower speed than the previous report.
The slowed growing of the mid-level enriched uranium stockpile would relief the western anxieties that Iran is crossing the nuclear threshold, which is defined as stockpiling about 240-250 kg of 20 percent enriched uranium to make a nuclear warhead.
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