Iran is rapidly expanding its ability to enrich uranium with advanced centrifuges at its underground plant at Natanz and now intends to go further than previously planned, a confidential UN nuclear watchdog report claimed on Monday, Reuters reported.
The third of three cascades, or clusters, of advanced IR-6 centrifuges recently installed at the underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) at Natanz has now come onstream, said the International Atomic Energy Agency report to member states. Diplomats say the IR-6 is Iran's most advanced centrifuge.
Iran has also quickly completed the installation of seven cascades that were either not finished or at a very early stage of installation on Aug. 31, Monday's ad hoc report further claimed.
End-August marked the last visit by inspectors mentioned in the IAEA's most recent quarterly report.
In the past years, Western countries led by the United States and the Zionist regime have accused Iran of pursuing military goals through its nuclear program. Iranian officials have always strongly rejected these claims.
As one of the signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran emphasizes that it has the right to access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The IAEA inspectors have visited Iran's nuclear facilities many times, but they have never found evidence showing that the country's peaceful nuclear energy program is moving toward military purposes.
RHM/PR
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