DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The star of a live television interview in Iran’s new nuclear workshop wasn’t the head of the country’s atomic agency, but in the background, labeled in English, were three centrifuges — advanced devices Tehran is prohibited from using by the nuclear deal with world powers.
The placement of the centrifuges, identified as IR-2M, IR-4, and IR-6, may have served as a subtle warning to Europe as it tries to salvage the atomic accord after US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from it and restore US sanctions.
In recent days Iranian officials from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on down have vowed to boost the country’s uranium enrichment capacity. The moves they have outlined would not violate the 2015 nuclear accord, but would allow Iran to quickly ramp up enrichment if the agreement unravels.
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency, said Wednesday night that the IR-6 is 10 times more effective than the IR-1 model which Iran currently has operational at its Natanz nuclear facility.
In this June 6, 2018 frame grab from Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting, IRIB, state-run TV, three versions of domestically-built centrifuges are shown in a live TV program from Natanz, an Iranian uranium enrichment plant, in Iran. (IRIB via AP)
During the live state television interview at Natanz, whose underground bunkers are protected from airstrikes, Salehi said a new workshop there that was nearly ready to open could build 60 centrifuges a day. He said it could build all three of the displayed models.
— AP
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