Iran multiplying pace of uranium enrichment to near bomb grade – IAEA report

Iran is multiplying the pace at which it is enriching uranium to close to bomb grade, mainly at its Fordo site dug into a mountain, the UN nuclear watchdog says in a confidential report to member states on Friday seen by Reuters.

The International Atomic Energy Agency verified on Thursday that Iran had started feeding uranium hexafluoride gas enriched to up to 20% instead of the previous 5% into two interconnected cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at Fordo enriching to up to 60%, close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade, the report says.

That means the pace at which Iran would enrich to 60% would increase dramatically, the report shows, naming a monthly production rate of over 34 kg at Fordo alone.

Iran plans to “significantly increase” production of highly enriched uranium, the report says.

An updated design of Iran’s Fordo plant showed that the effect of the change “would be to significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60%,” it adds.

A quarterly IAEA report last month showed Iran’s total production rate at that level at two sites including Fordo was roughly 6 kg a month.