Eurasia Press & News
Deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) Mohammad Sa’eedi said Iran’s industrial production of nuclear fuel is not synonymous with the installation of 3000 centrifuges. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony held at Natanz enrichment center on Monday for announcing Iran’s success in gaining full access to the know-how required for the production of nuclear fuel at industrial scale, Sa’eedi said Iran has now gone beyond the pilot stage and is on the threshold of enriching uranium at an industrial scale.
“We have so far been dealing with the completion of 2 cascades of 164 centrifuges as a pilot stage and passing this phase means industrialization of uranium enrichment,” he continued.
The official dismissed reports about installation of 3000 centrifuges by Iran, but declined to announce the number of centrifuges installed for the industrial phase.
Earlier in the same ceremony, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency (IAEO) Gholam Reza Aghazadeh said that his country has succeeded in entering the phase of industrial nuclear fuel production following its significant technological progress at Natanz enrichment facility.
“After it succeeded in completing two cascades of 164 centrifuges, Iran has now gained full access to the required know-how for producing nuclear fuel at industrial scale,” he said.
The ceremony was attended by Iranian president, high-ranking officials and MPs as well as more than 45 ambassadors of foreign countries to Tehran and representatives of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Troika.
Political analysts described Iran’s entrance to the phase of semi-industrial nuclear fuel production as “a no return point” establishing the Islamic Republic as a nuclear state.
