IAEA Says Iran is Expanding Uranium Enrichment

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report disclosed in advance shows that Iran is gradually advancing the country's uranium enrichment project despite pressure from the international community, while obstructing United Nations inspections.

The IAEA Board of Governors will discuss the report on Iran's nuclear issue drafted by IAEA Director General ElBaradei on March 6. The report will also be submitted to the United Nations Security Council. On February 27, the report was circulated among members of the IAEA Board of Governors.

The report said: "After three years of rigorous verification, the International Atomic Energy Agency is still unable to have a clear understanding of the scope and nature of Iran's nuclear program. This is not only regrettable, but also worrying." According to a person familiar with the International Atomic Energy Agency's verification "We cannot yet conclude that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful," a senior official at the event said.

The report said Iran has begun testing 20 centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility. Centrifuges can purify weapons-grade enriched uranium. Iran has previously carried out large-scale innovations in the Natanz nuclear operation system. Since Iran unilaterally dismantled monitoring equipment at its nuclear facilities, the International Atomic Energy Agency's supervision of Iran's nuclear program has been greatly affected.

The 11-page report also disclosed Iran's new nuclear plans. The report states that Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency that they will begin installing the first 3,000 centrifuges in the fourth quarter of 2006, although they are still negotiating with Russia to cancel uranium enrichment activities at home.

Iran plans to assemble a total of 50,000 centrifuges. Nuclear analysts say that making a simple nuclear warhead requires about 20 kilograms of weapons-grade enriched uranium, and producing this uranium requires about 1,500 centrifuges.

The report said that since September 2005, Iran has produced approximately 85 tons of uranium hexafluoride at its uranium conversion plant. Uranium hexafluoride can be used as raw material gas for uranium enrichment activities. The resulting enriched uranium can be used for power generation and can also be used as a core material for making nuclear bombs. Once Iran masters the technology of enriching uranium on an industrial scale, 85 tons of uranium hexafluoride will be enough to build several nuclear bombs.