Global Security Newswire

Iran is working on a new, higher-speed uranium-enriching centrifuge at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, May 22). The alleged development, disclosed to AFP by intelligence sources, could heighten fears shared by the United States and other Western powers that Iran is engaged in a fast-track effort to build a nuclear bomb.  Iran claims its uranium enrichment program would only generate nuclear power plant fuel.

International Atomic Energy Agency officials have already viewed experimental versions of the new centrifuge model, called the "IR-3," according to one diplomatic source.  Some of the prototype machines "have already been installed," said an intelligence source.

"The Iranians are working at the site around the clock in order to obtain immediate results," said the source.  "Checks as to the centrifuges' proper functioning have reached the final stage."

Iranian officials have claimed that the IR-3 is more efficient than the IR-2, a smaller next-generation Iranian centrifuge based on Pakistani technology (Agence France-Presse I/Google News, May 23).

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband yesterday said that new economic penalties could be imposed on Iran if that nation does not quickly explain its disputed nuclear activities, the Associated Press reported.

Speaking during a joint trip to California, Rice said Iran's claim to nuclear transparency would be undermined by its refusal to explain evidence put forward by the U.N. nuclear watchdog that Tehran may have conducted nuclear-weapon design research.

"One of the strongest parts of our policy has been to require Iran to be fully transparent with the IAEA, which should have the right to the full array of inspections in Iran," Rice told reporters.  "If Iran has peaceful intent as they say, they should have no problem with the International Atomic Energy Agency having complete, absolute and total access, and the word that is coming out is that that is not being provided to the IAEA."

According to Miliband, pressure on Iran to explain its sensitive nuclear work would increase following the imminent release of an IAEA progress report on the agency's probe into Iran's nuclear intentions (Matthew Lee, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, May 23). 

The agency today said it would release the report Monday to its governing body, Iran's Press TV reported (Press TV, May 23).

Rice said that Iran could avoid facing new U.N. Security Council and unilateral penalties by suspending its uranium enrichment program in exchange for a package of political and economic incentives put forward by the five permanent council members and Germany.

"There is no doubt that there are further steps that the coalition of states that are working on this could take within the Security Council framework if Iran is not prepared to accept the really quite favorable and quite generous package that has been offered to it," Rice said.  "They are already paying [economic] consequences and, of course, there are other possible courses available to us."

The United States is considering measures to isolate additional Iranian banks from international financial networks, Rice said, adding that Washington could impose the moves at any time if Iran continues to defy the international community (Lee, AP).

Iran has offered a compromise plan under which a foreign entity would perform uranium enrichment activities inside Iran to prevent production of weapon-grade material, the London Telegraph reported today.

The newspaper noted that the plan would not prevent Tehran from secretly continuing uranium enrichment activities at another site (David Blair, London Telegraph, May 23).

Elsewhere, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) yesterday denied a Haaretz report that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had raised the possibility of imposing a naval blockade on Iran over its nuclear work, AFP reported.

Olmert allegedly raised the idea during a luncheon with Pelosi earlier this week.

"During the luncheon meeting with Prime Minister Olmert, there was never any mention of a US naval blockade of Iranian ports," said Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami (Agence France-Presse II/Google News, May 22).