The IAEA has confirmed that Iran has activated their fourth cascade of centrifuges at Natanz, and is feeding them with uranium hexafluoride. Iran had confirmed plans to active the cascade months ago.
Iran intends to activate six cascades overall and enrich up to 5% purity. The new cascades are IR-2m centrifuges, more advanced and more efficient than those which Iran had at the start of the nuclear deal.
Under the deal, Iran was allowed to improve its centrifuge technology, but putting the new versions into production was intended to be done slowly and in a more limited fashion. With Iran trying to force the issue of sanctions relief, they put aside the limits, and have simply promised that once the sanctions relief is resolved they’ll reverse things back to the deal’s terms.
Iran has installed all six cascades, and has been slowly activating them. The fourth cascade consists of 174 IR-2m centrifuges.
Iran has not given exact dates for activating the last two cascades, but has made a habit of slowly progressing, which has assured that the IAEA has new reports on the same old activity.
Dutifully, those concerned about Iran’s civilian nuclear activity have continued to hype every single IAEA report, or report of a report, with the same alarm, even though Iran has not attempted to go beyond 5% enrichment, and assures it won’t. This means the enrichment has no proliferation risk.
Yes, nuclear weapons capability was never the issue; only the familiar WMD bogey. Rather it’s all about Richard Pearl & Co’s ’96 neocon plan, “A Clean Break” in pursuit of Zionist regional hegemony. Iran is the last man standing and cannot be permitted to survive.
Under the NPT, Iran can enrich. Two countries want Iran defenseless; USA and Israel.
Iran is being backed into producing nuclear weapons. This won’t end, until it is just like the North Korea situation.
Of course, unlike South Korea, Israel does want to attack, so long as it is assured that US will step in and finish the war Israel starts.