Iran Begins to Use Uranium in Advanced Centrifuge Tests

Iran has placed uranium gas samples in a new centrifuge model being installed at its Natanz enrichment complex, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 13).

Technicians introduced small amounts of uranium hexafluoride into Iran’s next-generation IR-2 centrifuges, which they began testing in “dry runs” last week, according to diplomats close to an International Atomic Energy Agency probe of the nation’s nuclear activities (see GSN, Feb. 8).

The U.N. nuclear watchdog offered no comment and said it would release details on the centrifuge’s development in a report to its 35-nation governing board (see GSN, Feb. 12).

Iran has so far relied on older, less reliable P-1 centrifuges for its uranium enrichment program, which international powers fear is aimed at enriching material for weapon purposes.  Tehran has insisted its nuclear program is intended solely for civilian energy production.

Iran had 3,000 P-1 centrifuges installed by last November, but it could only operate them at roughly 10-percent capacity.  It could produce enough weapon-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb in about one year by running its P-1 centrifuges at full capacity, but it would only require 1,200 IR-2 centrifuges to produce the same amount of bomb-grade material in that time, estimated nuclear expert David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security.

A European Union diplomat called the advanced centrifuge testing a “stunning rejection” of U.N. Security Council demands that Iran suspend its enrichment activities.  The Iranian advances could speed up the council’s approval of a new sanctions resolution drafted by the five permanent Security Council members and Germany (Mark Heinrich, Reuters I/Washington Post, Feb. 13).

Iran still has the capability to build a nuclear bomb although it may have suspended its nuclear weapons development, a high-level U.S. intelligence official told U.S. lawmakers yesterday.

Tehran “continues to develop” nuclear capacities it could easily tap for nuclear weapons production, Deputy U.S. National Intelligence Director Thomas Fingar said yesterday.

“We judge it has the technical and industrial capability to produce nuclear weapons,” he said in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee.

When a U.S. lawmaker asked if Iran’s uranium enrichment program places a nuclear weapon in its reach, Fingar said, “your logic point is that they have the capacity to resume a weapons program” if Iran chooses to in the future.

A recent U.S. National Intelligence Estimate representing the consensus of the U.S. intelligence community said that Iranian officials are keeping their options open but Tehran is likely to develop a bomb-making capability between 2010 and 2015.

However, Fingar warned that time estimates for Iran’s completion of a nuclear weapon are based on the country’s development of its domestic uranium enrichment capability.  Tehran could build a nuclear weapon faster if it acquires weapon-grade nuclear material from elsewhere, he said.

“It’s the centrifuge program — fissile material production — which is the main variable,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Google News, Feb. 13).

The Security Council plans to make changes to the proposed sanctions resolution against Iran and vote on the resolution after the U.N. nuclear watchdog releases its report on Iran’s nuclear program, the British U.N. ambassador said yesterday.

“I don't think this resolution's going to be adopted before the IAEA report comes out,” John Sawers said after a meeting between the permanent and non-permanent Security Council members, Reuters reported.

“We received various views on the text that we circulated,” he added.  “We're going to incorporate the views into a revised text next week and introduce it next week.”

It remains uncertain what measures in the resolution could undergo revision.  South Africa has criticized a section calling on nations to inspect suspicious cargo entering and leaving Iran on two Iranian shipping lines while Libya’s U.N. envoy said he had reservations about the sanctions.

According to diplomats, Libya opposes sanctions because the nation had itself been subjected to U.N. economic measures until recently (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters II/International Herald Tribune, Feb. 14).

Russia has often slowed the push toward new U.N. sanctions, but it disapproves of Iran’s missile development and uranium enrichment programs, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday.

“We don’t approve of Iran’s continuously demonstrating its intentions to develop its missile industry and continue uranium enrichment,” Lavrov told Russian media, the Associated Press reported.  “From the point of view of international law, these activities aren’t forbidden.  However, it’s necessary to take into account that the past years have shown a number of problems related to Iran's nuclear program.”

Lavrov’s statement suggests that Russia is leaning toward concerns shared by Western powers about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, AP reported.

“Opportunities still exist for starting talks on final settlement of all problems related to the Iranian nuclear program,” Lavrov was quoted as saying.  “It’s necessary that all participants in this process be guided by a desire to solve this problem, assuage concerns related to potential risks and threats and not proceed from other reasons related to a political agenda” (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Feb. 13).

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