The Iranian authorities have confirmed information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the launch of a new generation of centrifuges for uranium enrichment.
This was reported by Anadolu agency.
It is noted that the official representative of the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran, Behruz Kemalvendi, confirmed this information on the air of Iranian state television. According to him, Iran informed the IAEA about injecting gas into the new IR6 centrifuge chain at Fordow to speed up uranium enrichment.
Kemalvendi also added that with the new centrifuge system it was possible to achieve uranium enrichment of up to 20%, which Iran also reported to the IAEA. Earlier, the agency published a report in which it was reported that Iran had launched new centrifuges to enrich uranium to a higher level.
The content of the uranium-235 isotope in the uranium-238 isotope at a level of up to 20% is called low-enriched and is used (starting from a concentration of 2-5%) in power reactors. The same isotope with a content of 20% or more is called highly enriched or "weapon-grade" because it can be used in thermonuclear weapons as a shell of the charge.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council signed an agreement in 2015 that puts Iranʼs nuclear activities under control in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
- On November 27, 2020, in Iran, in the vicinity of Tehran , the scientist Moshen Fakhrizadeh, who was called the "father of the Iranian atomic bomb", was shot. The media reported that the scientist was shot with a remote control machine gun that was in the car. Iran directly accused Israel of the murder.
- On the night of April 11, 2021, an accident occurred at an underground factory in the city of Natanzi in Iran. The light suddenly went out at the nuclear facility where uranium is being enriched. Iran announced a terrorist attack, and the media reported that the plant was attacked by hackers on behalf of the Israeli Mossad. Israel has not officially confirmed or denied its involvement.
- On April 10, the plant launched new 164 IR-6 and 30 IR-5 centrifuges, which can enrich uranium faster. The launch was watched by President Hassan Rouhani. He repeatedly stated that Iranʼs nuclear program has an exclusively peaceful purpose and is not aimed at creating weapons.
- It later emerged that the accident disabled more than a thousand centrifuges for enriching and purifying uranium, and also destroyed the ground power system. Iran blamed Israel for the accident.