The UN watchdog said a second set, or "cascade", of centrifuges was working at the Natanz pilot fuel enrichment plant when inspectors visited in July. The move to enrich uranium to 20% purity means Iran could quickly advance to manufacture weapons grade material. The West believes Iran is seeking to make a nuclear bomb. Iran deny this. The UN Security Council, the US and EU have each forced sanctions on the Iranian authorities to force them to halt enrichment activities. Iran has been producing low enriched uranium (LEU) of about 3.5% clarity for some time, and announced in February that it had begun enriching uranium to 20% to make fuel for its Tehran research reactor, which produce medical isotopes.
A bomb would want at least 90%. "The IAEA can confirm that on 17 July, when agency inspectors were at, Iran was feeding nuclear material to the two interconnected 164 machine centrifuge cascades," spokeswoman Gill Tudor said. Ms Tudor said the move was "contrary to UN Security Council resolutions affirming that Iran should hang all enrichment related activities". The centrifuges spin uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas at high speeds to divide the fissile U-235 atoms from the denser U-238 atoms. Experts say that using two consistent cascades increases efficiency by allowing leftover LEU to be refed into the machines.
The IAEA said in a report in February that Iran had achieved enrichment levels of up to 19.8%, which further to its concerns about the "possible military dimensions" of its nuclear programme. Experts say the technical leap essential to get to 90% purity from 20% is relatively straightforward, because it becomes easier at upper levels. Going from the natural state of 0.7% purity to 20% takes 90% of the total energy necessary, they add. Iran insists its nuclear programme is for totally peaceful purposes. "The plant is undergoing the final sets of experiments for finding of any possible failure," Ali Akbar Salehi said. "The preliminary phase will be finished in less than two weeks and the plant will be ready to launch."
A bomb would want at least 90%. "The IAEA can confirm that on 17 July, when agency inspectors were at, Iran was feeding nuclear material to the two interconnected 164 machine centrifuge cascades," spokeswoman Gill Tudor said. Ms Tudor said the move was "contrary to UN Security Council resolutions affirming that Iran should hang all enrichment related activities". The centrifuges spin uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas at high speeds to divide the fissile U-235 atoms from the denser U-238 atoms. Experts say that using two consistent cascades increases efficiency by allowing leftover LEU to be refed into the machines.
The IAEA said in a report in February that Iran had achieved enrichment levels of up to 19.8%, which further to its concerns about the "possible military dimensions" of its nuclear programme. Experts say the technical leap essential to get to 90% purity from 20% is relatively straightforward, because it becomes easier at upper levels. Going from the natural state of 0.7% purity to 20% takes 90% of the total energy necessary, they add. Iran insists its nuclear programme is for totally peaceful purposes. "The plant is undergoing the final sets of experiments for finding of any possible failure," Ali Akbar Salehi said. "The preliminary phase will be finished in less than two weeks and the plant will be ready to launch."
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