Ahmadinejad: Iran to have some 17,000 centrifuges

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 29 / Trend N. Umid, S. Isayev Iran has some 12,000 active centrifuges, country's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a live interview with Iran's IRIB1 TV. "We have nuclear technology. Aside from 12,000 active centrifuges, there are 5,000 more ready for inauguration," Ahmadinejad noted. In June 2013, the International Atomic Energy Agency's director Yukiya Amano said Iran was violating the resolutions by increasing the number of centrifuges and volume of enriched uranium. On Feb. 14, Iran announced that It has installed new, 5th generation centrifuges at Natanz nuclear research facility. Earlier, on Feb. 6 Iran announced that the country has successfully manufactured a tubular centrifuge, because of the imposed sanctions and restrictions. Iran says it refines uranium to power a planned network of nuclear power stations. But the West fears that the material, if enriched much further to 90 percent, could be used for weapons. Iran says its nuclear program has only peaceful goals. Ahmadinejad noted that Iran possesses the nuclear fuel cycle technology, however when the country announced it, it was "accused of bluffing". Speaking elsewhere, Ahmadinejad noted that Iran has achieved laser technology, and is able to export this technology. He did not reveal any details regarding this. Further on, he said that currently there are about 15 million cars in the world that run on gas, and 5 million of those cars are in Iran.