Uncertainty Remains Over New Iranian Centrifuges

A new round of uranium enrichment centrifuges recently placed at Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility do not include a next-generation model developed by Tehran, the Associated Press reported Friday (see GSN, April 4).

The United States and other Western nations suspect Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon ingredient through its enrichment program, but Iranian officials have insisted their efforts are aimed only at producing fuel for nuclear power plants.

Iran has recently installed some next-generation, higher-speed centrifuges, but the machines do not include the proprietary IR-2 centrifuge, according to a high-level diplomat familiar with an investigation into Iran’s nuclear program by the International Atomic Energy Agency (see GSN, Feb. 25).

The official added it remains uncertain whether the advanced centrifuges were placed at the Natanz site’s underground enrichment plant or its above-ground experimental facility.  Another diplomat with knowledge of the program said Iran has begun connecting the centrifuges in a network or “cascade,” but the machines remain in the experimental division and are not functioning.

“Something new is definitely going on,” but conflicting information makes it difficult to assess the progress of Iran’s nuclear work, said nuclear expert David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security (George Jahn, Associated Press I/San Diego Union-Tribune, April 4).

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Saturday reaffirmed the Bush administration’s desire to solve the Iranian nuclear standoff peacefully during a meeting with Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Reuters reported.

Gates told the leader that “although we keep all options open with regards to Iran, we remain committed to a diplomatic solution," according to a high-level Pentagon official.

Oman, a U.S. ally in the Middle East, has opposed the use of economic sanctions to pressure Iran to halt its disputed nuclear activities (Reuters, April 5).

Iran plans to announce new nuclear accomplishments tomorrow, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini invited reporters to attend a “National Day of Nuclear Achievement” marking one year since Iran announced obtaining an industrial-level uranium enrichment capacity (see GSN, April 9, 2007; Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Khaleej Times, April 4).

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