Iran to use new type of centrifuge in newly-disclosed nuclear facility
Enrichment plant near Qom had been kept secret until its existence was revealed last month.
By Reuters Tags: IAEA Israel news Iran nuclearIran plans to use a new generation of centrifuges for enriching uranium at its newly-disclosed nuclear fuel facility, its atomic energy chief said in remarks published on Tuesday.
The underground enrichment plant near the holy Shi'ite city of Qom had been kept secret until Iran disclosed its existence last month, setting off an international furor.
Iran agreed with six world powers -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- in Geneva on October 1 to allow inspectors from the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to the site.
IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei said in Tehran on Sunday that UN experts will inspect it on October 25. The plant under construction near Qom is Iran's second uranium enrichment plant after one near the central city of Natanz.
"We have put our effort on research and development of new machines in the past two or three months so that we would be able to produce machines with high efficiency and completely indigenous," said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.
"We are hopeful of using a new generation of centrifuges at the Fordu site," the Kayhan daily quoted Salehi as saying, referring to the new plant.
Kayhan published a transcript of an Iranian state television interview with Salehi.
The West suspects the Islamic state is covertly seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies it. Enriched uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants and, if refined much further, provide material for nuclear bombs.
Iran has said the new enrichment site, which has space for about 3,000 centrifuges, is about 18 months away from going on line.
Last Thursday's talks in Geneva are expected to win Iran a reprieve from tougher U.N. sanctions, although Western powers are likely to be wary of any attempt by Tehran to buy time to develop its nuclear program.
Last month, Salehi said Iran has built a new generation of centrifuges and was testing them, adding they were stronger and faster than those now in operation.
An Aug. 28 IAEA report said Iran had actually somewhat reduced the number of older-model P-1 centrifuges enriching uranium in a step diplomats said appeared to be related to needed repair and maintenance work.
An upgraded model of centrifuge could enrich at a rate 2-3 times that of the P-1, which has been prone to outages caused by vibration and overheating.
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"Ok, now its indigenous. That is impossible. For only a highly industrialized country can produce said modern centrifuge with specialized materials" Then the Merkava is also not an indigenous product, as the steel and other materials are not of Israeli origin ...
The IR-2, also called the P-2, is actually an indigenous development rather than a simple P-2 knock-off. The use of MS for the centrifuge instead of aluminum allows much higher rotational speeds and thus more efficient separation. The development of such a centrifuge is technically far more difficult than building a bomb. It should be noted that all of Iran's nuclear development efforts are far behind schedule and encountering difficulties.
Lets just digest he following.. "We have put our effort on research and development of new machines in the past two or three months so that we would be able to produce machines with high efficiency and completely indigenous"! Ok, now its indigenous. That is impossible. For only a highly industrialized country can produce said modern centrifuge with specialized materials..! Da or nyet. Good day from rainy Swiss Alps.
As noted by this correspondent the day the story broke this was the long anticipated P-2 plant. Iran had revealed it's work on a more modern centrifuge using Maraging steel. Iran did a photo-op on the development a year ago.
This would seem to be a logical decision without any sinister implications.
Israel is not a signatory of npt, known to have a huge arsenal of nukes and other mass destruction stockpile. Protected by the world powers, no body ask for Israel to toe the line. Iran is the focus as did Iraq of sadam. Double standard would remain unless someone or something stands firm to erase this injustice.