Iran ramps up production of 60% enriched uranium

Tehran, IRNA – Iran says it has ramped up its production of 60% enriched uranium in response to a recent resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on Tuesday that stockpiles of uranium enriched up to 60% had increased at Natanz, a nuclear facility located in central Iran. It said production of 60% enriched uranium had started for the first time in Fordwo, a fuel enrichment plant located in the central Iranian province of Qom. It added that a new generation of IR-6 centrifuges had replaced older machines in Fordwo to enable a massive ramp-up in output. The AEOI said it had fed uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas feedstock into two cascades of IR-4 and IR-2m centrifuges in Natanz. Another two cascades of the same centrifuges were prepared in the same facility for feeding UF6 gas in the upcoming days, it added. The announcement comes days after IAEA’s board of governors adopted a resolution ordering Iran to cooperate with an agency probe that Tehran wants to close as part of efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between the country and world powers. Iranian authorities had vowed they would retaliate against IAEA’s politically motivated move to adopt the resolution. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish