Exclusive: Iran racing to expand enrichment at underground plant, IAEA report shows

[Shapur Zol Aktaf]

Iran is rapidly expanding its ability to enrich uranium with advanced centrifuges at its underground plant at Natanz and now intends to go further than previously planned, a confidential UN nuclear watchdog report has said.

While indirect talks between Iran and the US on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have stalled, Tehran has brought on-stream an ever larger number of advanced centrifuges that is has been banned by the deal from using to produce enriched uranium.

These machines are far more efficient than the first-generation IR-1, the only centrifuge that the deal lets Iran use to grow its stock of enriched uranium, Reuters reported on Monday.

Iran has been adding them, particularly at two underground sites at Natanz and Fordow that may be designed to withstand potential aerial bombardment.

The third of three cascades, or clusters, of advanced IR-6 centrifuges recently installed at the underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) at Natanz has now come on-stream, said the International Atomic Energy Agency report to member states.

Diplomats say the IR-6 is Iran's most advanced centrifuge.

Iran has also quickly completed the installation of seven cascades that were either not finished or at a very early stage of installation on August 31, the ad hoc report showed. The end of August marked the last visit by inspectors mentioned in the agency's most recent quarterly report.

Those seven cascades, one of IR-4 centrifuges and six of IR-2m machines, were fully installed but not yet enriching uranium, Monday's report said.

Iran also informed the agency of its plans to add an extra three cascades of IR-2m machines at the FEP, on top of the 12 already announced and now installed, the report showed.

Russian contractors work at the Bushehr nuclear reactor site in 2007. The plant opened four years later. Bloomberg
Of those three extra IR-2m cascades, installation has already started on two of them, the report said.


The report also showed that all the centrifuges enriching at Natanz are still producing uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas enriched to up to 5 per cent. They are now being fed with natural UF6.

That is in contrast to the quarterly report issued in September that said the centrifuges were being fed with UF6 enriched to up to 2 per cent on August 31. It did not explain the change.

In 2018, Donald Trump, US president at the time, pulled his country out of the Iran deal and reimposed sanctions against Iran that had been lifted under the deal.

Iran responded by breaching the restrictions on its nuclear activities imposed by the deal.

If the deal is revived Iran will have to put its advanced centrifuges into storage, diplomats say.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/men...hment-at-underground-plant-iaea-report-shows/

 

[aryobarzan]

Iran has two or three years before Trump comes back...The race has started to build as much bomb grade enriched Uranium as possible so that by the time he is in office Iran will be in in a place where the country can have 10 to 15 "ready to assemble" bombs if needed...

And this is where those enrichments are being done..no one can touch it..

 

[Shapur Zol Aktaf]

Iran has two or three years before Trump comes back...The race has started to build as much bomb grade enriched Uranium as possible so that by the time he is in office Iran will be in in a place where the country can have 10 to 15 "ready to assemble" bombs if needed...

And this is where those enrichments are being done..no one can touch it..View attachment 886233

Building 10 or 15 would be a good start and a message to the enemies. Either full lifting of sanctions or fully armed with nuclear missiles pointed towards the enemies.

Iran's nuclear program was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States under the Atoms for Peace program,[2] and in 1970, Iran ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),[3] limiting its nuclear program to peaceful use, and making its nuclear program subject to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Western cooperation ceased following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, after which Iran continued its nuclear program on a clandestine basis.

Nuclear program of Iran - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So it has been 70 years (!) of hot air and steam so far. I wonder if the world will have to hear about this for another 70 years?

How long did it take for North Korea? 1-2 decades I believe.

Anyway if (big if), Iran develops nuclear weapons, this will give a carte blanche for regional actors (KSA, Turkey, Egypt, UAE etc.) to follow suit as most of them have proclaimed. Exciting times.

Difference is, we have nothing to lose and could only gain. Those other countries will collapse if they get sanctioned. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world (and maybe the longest as well !), now Russia is number 1 and Iran number 2.

 

[Corruptistan]

Iran has two or three years before Trump comes back...The race has started to build as much bomb grade enriched Uranium as possible so that by the time he is in office Iran will be in in a place where the country can have 10 to 15 "ready to assemble" bombs if needed...

And this is where those enrichments are being done..no one can touch it..View attachment 886233

Tactical nukes can easily do the job. Anyway by the tempo of the Iranian nuclear program we might wait 700 years for any Iranian nuclear bomb.

Building 10 or 15 would be a good start and a message to the enemies. Either full lifting of sanctions or fully armed with nuclear missiles pointed towards the enemies.


Difference is, we have nothing to lose and could only gain. Those other countries will collapse if they get sanctioned. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world (and maybe the longest as well !), now Russia is number 1 and Iran number 2.

Those Iranian sanctions are a joke. You can still easily sell your main exports (oil and gas). Even Westerners can freely visit. Real sanctions were those that Saddam's Iraq suffered from in the 1990's. Yet they did not collapse. No way will countries like KSA, UAE, Egypt and or Turkey collapse in case of sanctions. Not even North Korea did. This is just wishful thinking. In any case being stupid enough to get sanctioned is not really something to emulate.

43 years, 8 year long devastating war with Iraq, sanctions, 100's of billions of lost money (if not 1-2 trillion) and still no nuclear bomb.

 

[Hack-Hook]

Iran's nuclear program was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States under the Atoms for Peace program,[2] and in 1970, Iran ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),[3] limiting its nuclear program to peaceful use, and making its nuclear program subject to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Western cooperation ceased following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, after which Iran continued its nuclear program on a clandestine basis.

Nuclear program of Iran - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So it has been 70 years (!) of hot air and steam so far. I wonder if the world will have to hear about this for another 70 years?

How long did it take for North Korea? 1-2 decades I believe.

Anyway if (big if), Iran develops nuclear weapons, this will give a carte blanche for regional actors (KSA, Turkey, Egypt, UAE etc.) to follow suit as most of them have proclaimed. Exciting times.

nukes , who says Iran program is for nukes.
and that hot air include all the cycles for a peaceful nuclear programs.
you guys and your funny obsession with nukes

43 years, 8 year long devastating war with Iraq, sanctions, 100's of billions of lost money (if not 1-2 trillion) and still no nuclear bomb.

lol , again you and your obsession with nukes. everything Iran ever did point to a peaceful nuclear program

If the deal is revived Iran will have to put its advanced centrifuges into storage, diplomats say.

till when . 2025

 

[Corruptistan]

nukes , who says Iran program is for nukes.
and that hot air include all the cycles for a peaceful nuclear programs.
you guys and your funny obsession with nukes


lol , again you and your obsession with nukes. everything Iran ever did point to a peaceful nuclear program

Sure, and the sun orbits around the earth and not the other way around.

Little reminder. If you guys are interested in just nuclear energy why all the fuss and sanctions?

Small UAE has the by far largest nuclear power plant in the region (Barakah) fully running now. With 2,690 (MWe). Did not take them 70 years.

On the other hand Iran has just Bushehr (after 50 years) which has a 3 times smaller capacity. You are doing something horribly wrong.

 

[Dariush the Great]

Sure, and the sun orbits around the earth and not the other way around.

Little reminder. If you guys are interested in just nuclear energy why all the fuss and sanctions?

Small UAE has the by far largest nuclear power plant in the region (Barakah) fully running now. With 2,690 (MWe). Did not take them 70 years.

On the other hand Iran has just Bushehr (after 50 years) which has a 3 times smaller capacity. You are doing something horribly wrong.

Mullahs are playing these games to buy time. For over 40 years they done jackshit in field of nuclear energy or even nuclear weapons. So yes, the ''something horribly wrong'' is a deceitful policy on purpose by the corrupt maffia mullah regime.

The grand jackass Khamenei even is in same line as the US and Israel in opposing nuclear weapons (read his comments on nukes). They are working against the national interests.

Just a matter of time to kick these monkeys out.

 

[_Nabil_]

Iran's nuclear program was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States under the Atoms for Peace program,[2] and in 1970, Iran ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),[3] limiting its nuclear program to peaceful use, and making its nuclear program subject to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Western cooperation ceased following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, after which Iran continued its nuclear program on a clandestine basis.

Nuclear program of Iran - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So it has been 70 years (!) of hot air and steam so far. I wonder if the world will have to hear about this for another 70 years?

How long did it take for North Korea? 1-2 decades I believe.

Anyway if (big if), Iran develops nuclear weapons, this will give a carte blanche for regional actors (KSA, Turkey, Egypt, UAE etc.) to follow suit as most of them have proclaimed. Exciting times.

Tactical nukes can easily do the job. Anyway by the tempo of the Iranian nuclear program we might wait 700 years for any Iranian nuclear bomb.



Those Iranian sanctions are a joke. You can still easily sell your main exports (oil and gas). Even Westerners can freely visit. Real sanctions were those that Saddam's Iraq suffered from in the 1990's. Yet they did not collapse. No way will countries like KSA, UAE, Egypt and or Turkey collapse in case of sanctions. Not even North Korea did. This is just wishful thinking. In any case being stupid enough to get sanctioned is not really something to emulate.

43 years, 8 year long devastating war with Iraq, sanctions, 100's of billions of lost money (if not 1-2 trillion) and still no nuclear bomb.

True Iranian nuclear program is taking ages, just to correct some facts you mentioned:

NK nuclear research started in 1950, nuclear program in 1980

Sanctions are real, just a recent example, the ban of Medical equipments to make Corona vaccines, Iran has to smuggle it through a dozen of countries.

Don't forget the Islamic Revolution, the Irak war, the Israelis sabotaging, Russia not really willing to transfer technology,....

Hope all Islamic countries acquire nuclear technology, regimes change, but the know how will stay ...

 

[Dariush the Great]

Any outsider can see that the Mullah's of Iran have hijacked Iran for their own personal and monetary gains as a way to continue their stronghold on Iran. Continued sanctions help them create an outside bogeyman in order to try to remove the focus on their own incompetence. However Iranians are largely feed up as seen by the recent protests and the many other protests before in recent years.

I have seen videos from the Iran protests of young people shot to dead while sitting in their cars and people screaming and cursing the Mullah's.

For instance a sane Iran ruled by "normal" people would have no reason to be hostile to the GCC or even Israel. You can disagree with how Israel behaves (which is completely legitimate) but you can do that smartly. Arabs tried actual wars (Mullah's have yet to fire a single missile at Israel despite 43 years of constant rhetoric) 50 + years ago and realized that Israel has the full backing of the entire Western world and that they will never allow them to "disappear" or be defeated. That and the West always making sure that they have better weapons than anyone else in the region. Not to mention billions of USD in support (free money) every single year from USA, Germany and others.

Similarly, I don't understand the Mullah's obsession with KSA? What did those guys do to the Mullah's? Since the moment they hijacked power in 1979, they have been obsessed about spreading their "Islamic revolution" and helping create proxies/blind followers among lowly educated Shia populaces in war torn regions (Iraq, Southern Lebanon and now Northern Yemen) instead of cooperating with the neighbourhood. Arabs have no intention to invade Iran (lol).

In fact it does not take a genius to realize that Iran (Mullah's) have wasted 43 years.

Just imagine what the oil and gas money (almost monpoly) that the GCC, Iraq and Iran alone have had/continue to have and in what ways that money could have been used, if used in a proper manner.

EDIT: Funny thing; I am yet to met a single pro-Mullah Iranian in person, yet on PDF most of you guys are hardcore Mullah defenders.

The large movement you see in Iran nowadays is touching on those same points. These sick shia radicals want to sacrifice an entire nation to maintain their ''influence'' in these Arab countries. Average Iranian doesn't care about any nation other than Iran. And honestly, discussing or arguing with these sick animals or their foreign mercenaries is just a waste of time. Honestly, i myself and other nationalist Iranians see no reason to challenge these Arab states around us.. sure they might be under influence of US or as the shia terrorists call them ''US puppets'' we personally don't give a ****. If the people of those nations are fed up with their rulers, they can, like Iranians, protest as well.

Iranians will slowly take care of these radical shia terrorists though, it will take a while but there is a increased awareness and the chance of radical shia influence dying out is just a matter of time, not if it happens.

Latest (youth) uprising is a huge shock to the corrupt mullah mafia regime and their corrupted family members abroad squandering national wealth.

True Iranian nuclear program is taking ages, just to correct some facts you mentioned:

NK nuclear research started in 1950, nuclear program in 1980

Sanctions are real, just a recent example, the ban of Medical equipments to make Corona vaccines, Iran has to smuggle it through a dozen of countries.

Don't forget the Islamic Revolution, the Irak war, the Israelis sabotaging, Russia not really willing to transfer technology,....

Hope all Islamic countries acquire nuclear technology, regimes change, but the know how will stay ...

''Islamic'' revolution was a mistake by our (grand)parents. We want nothing to do with Islam in politics or state. We want it to remain at mosques, churches etc.

 

[Corruptistan]

True Iranian nuclear program is taking ages, just to correct some facts you mentioned:

NK nuclear research started in 1950, nuclear program in 1980

Sanctions are real, just a recent example, the ban of Medical equipments to make Corona vaccines, Iran has to smuggle it through a dozen of countries.

Don't forget the Islamic Revolution, the Irak war, the Israelis sabotaging, Russia not really willing to transfer technology,....

Hope all Islamic countries acquire nuclear technology, regimes change, but the know how will stay ...

Can we all agree (not very controversial a claim) that it takes ages in Iran's case for whatever reasons? Look at Pakistan. Look at North Korea.

Yes, sanctions are real, but they are not as effective which you probably already know as a long-time follower of Iran (by your own words). Everything of need is smuggled into Iran. Did you see the Western components in the recently drowned Iranian drones in Ukraine? It had a Canadian engine (Rotax). Those Iranian drones shot down by KSA showed a similar thing.

Sanctions are mostly US trade. However if I am not wrong, even European countries continue to trade and their leaders visit Iran freely.

We cannot compare those sanctions with Iraq's sanctions in the 1990's and even back then Iraq did not collapse which was my point.

Iran is also blessed that it has a large amount of oil and gas that it can export.

My problem with Iran (sole) is their policy in the Middle East/many Islamic nations. Whatever they do within Iran/what Iranians decide is their own internal like that of any other country.

My point remains, the Middle Eastern powers (countries in the region that matter) have lost a lot of opportunities by not genuinely cooperating with each other. The best example is how the relations between two neighbours (KSA and Iran) have been (overall) since 1979.

And I am afraid to say that even if all outsiders (West and East) completely left the region alone and had no ties to it whatsoever, the local leaders would still be competing for power and supremacy, rather than working together jointly for the better good.

The Europeans (Western Europeans) learned it the hard way after WW2. It seems that people of the region (at least the rulers) are yet to learn it.

 

[Hack-Hook]

Little reminder. If you guys are interested in just nuclear energy why all the fuss and sanctions?

ask uncle Sam , we don't put those sanction but maybe , just maybe it has something to do with Israel

Small UAE has the by far largest nuclear power plant in the region (Barakah) fully running now. With 2,690 (MWe). Did not take them 70 years.

they wanted a nuclear reactor , not full cycle of peaceful nuclear technology , each country has different priority , one don't care relying on others one want independent

Can we all agree (not very controversial a claim) that it takes ages in Iran's case for whatever reasons? Look at Pakistan. Look at North Korea.

it will take ages more if iran don't want nukes

Sanctions are mostly US trade. However if I am not wrong, even European countries continue to trade and their leaders visit Iran freely.

no its usa trades and trades with anybody who want to trade with USA or want to travel to USA

My problem with Iran (sole) is their policy in the Middle East/many Islamic nations. Whatever they do within Iran/what Iranians decide is their own internal like that of any other country.

what policy , we didn't bomb anybody , make complain to the ones who bombed others

 

[Hack-Hook]

Iran is also blessed that it has a large amount of oil and gas that it can export.

you think how much money we get from oil?

 

[aryobarzan]

I see some hot air is blowing from paid agents of the Khaliji Arabs on this thread...

since we are on the subject of Iranian Nuclear bomb I can say this about our southern Persian gulf inhabitants:
The day a Khaliji Arab builds a simple screw without the help from a Westerner is the day I personally celebrate and declare southern Persian gulf population as newcomers to the age of technology..until such a day,...HAPPY CAMELING!

 

[Corruptistan]

ask uncle Sam , we don't put those sanction but maybe , just maybe it has something to do with Israel


they wanted a nuclear reactor , not full cycle of peaceful nuclear technology , each country has different priority , one don't care relying on others one want independent


it will take ages more if iran don't want nukes

You need to learn more about nuclear power in UAE.

Nuclear power in the United Arab Emirates - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I know that KSA is pursuing the nuclear fuel cycle, building an local nuclear infrastructure as well as constructing nuclear power plant (renders) for the near future.

Similarly the UAE is running the Barakah nuclear power plant (one of the largest in the world). Even a small country like UAE with just 1-1.5 million people (locals) have educated nuclear scientists, nuclear engineers etc. Now they are able to run their own nuclear power plant.

This does not come out of the blue.

As for Israel, you mean the same Israel that the Mullah's have yet to fire a single missile at for the past 43 years?

Hezbollah has not been at war with Israel since 2006. It has been 16 years. From 2006-2022, Israel has just been stealing more Palestinian territory in the West Bank. What is Hezbollah/Iran waiting for?

Actually sanctions started with the kidnapping of Americans and storming of the US embassy in Tehran.

Let us get the chronology in order (has nothing to do with Israel):

The first sanctions were imposed by the United States in November 1979 after a group of radical students seized the American Embassy in Tehran and took hostages. These sanctions were lifted in January 1981 after the hostages were released, but they were reimposed by the United States in 1987 in response to Iran's actions from 1981 to 1987 against the U.S. and vessels of other countries in the Persian Gulf and support for terrorism.[2] The sanctions were expanded in 1995 to include firms dealing with the Iranian government.[3]

Sanctions against Iran - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[_Nabil_]

Can we all agree (not very controversial a claim) that it takes ages in Iran's case for whatever reasons? Look at Pakistan. Look at North Korea.

I said it took ages, so yes

Yes, sanctions are real, but they are not as effective which you probably already know as a long-time follower of Iran (by your own words). Everything of need is smuggled into Iran. Did you see the Western components in the recently drowned Iranian drones? Those show down by KSA showed a similar thing.

Sanctions are mostly US trade. However if I am not wrong, even European countires continue to trade and their leaders visit Iran freely.

We cannot compare those sanctions with Iraq's sanctions in the 1990's and even back then Iraq did not collapse which was my point.

Not comparable to Irak oil against food program and no flying zone of course.

But Irak collapsed in the end, you don't see the results now?? There is no more mighty "Irak",

Iran is also blessed that it has a large amount of oil and gas that it can export.

My problem with Iran (sole) is their policy in the Middle East/many Islamic nations. Whatever they do within Iran/what Iranians decide, is their own internal that of any other country.

My point remains, the Middle Eastern powers (countries in the region that matter) have lost a lot of opportunities by not genuinely cooperating with each other. The best example is how the relations between two neighbours (KSA and Iran) have been (overall) since 1979.

Why do you blame Iran for the situation of suspicion and unease with GCC regimes, specially KSA, it's Irak with GCV support starting the war, because of the so called fear of revolution export.

And I am afraid to say that even if all outsiders (West and East) completely left the region alone and had no ties to it whatsoever, the local leaders would still be competing for power and supremacy, rather than working together jointly for the better good.

I hope they do

The Europeans (Western Europeans) learned it the hard way after WW2. It seems that people of the region (at least the rulers) are yet to learn it.

Agree, it's everyone fault at some extend, id rather see KSA the faulty one, they should have behaved differently, they should welcomed the Iranian Islamic Revolution, helped and guided them, not seen it as a threat from day one.