Iran's enrichment capability has increased 10 times

Mojtaba Zonnour, the chairman of the Iranian Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the Mehr News Agency (MNA) correspondent that even during the Iranian new year eve (Nowruz) holidays, the Iranian nuclear scientists did not stop work and could successfully meet the demands of Parliament's law dubbed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions approved in early last December.

"Scientists installed the centrifuges on time and implemented this part of the law through intensified efforts and redoubled efforts to complete the work even during the Nowruz holiday," Zonnour said.

He added, "According to this [parliamnet] law, one thousand IR2M centrifuges had to be installed by the end of the year 1399," noting that "the Iranian nuclear scientists succeeded in completing the project of installing one thousand IR2M centrifuges." He called the achievement "a very important and strategic step."

According to the senior MP, "There were 19,000 installed and un-installed centrifuges in Natanz, which were reduced to 5,100 centrifuges in accordance with the JCPOA obligations."

He said that "the SWU (Seperative Work Units) related to these IR1 centrifuges is between 800 grams to one kilogram per year, that is, if a thousand IR2M centrifuges operate in Natanz [nuclear site], at the end of the year [of 1400], each centrifuge can enrich 800 grams or 1,200 grams of uranium."

"If each centrifuge enriches an average of one kg uranium, at the end of the year, 1,000 IR1 centrifuges will produce 1,000 kilograms of enriched uranium," according to Zonnour.

He added that "The IR2Ms that are installed, first of all, their technology is completely Iranian and we have no dependence on foreign countries in this field, and SWU of these IR2M centrifuges are between 5 and 6. This means that IR2M centrifuges have more than 5 times the capacity of our IR1s operating in Natanz. In other words, this one thousand IR2M machines that have been installed can enrich uranium as much as the entire Natanz site, which operates according to the JCPOA."

He said, "These one thousand centrifuges have been designed and installed in 6 cascades, to 4 centrifuges of which uranium hexafluoride gas have been injected, and industrial enrichment has begun."

The head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament also said that another cascade is about to be launched, centrifuges of which have been installed and gas is about to be injected into,"

He also added "Another cascade out of 6 IR2M centrifuge cascades is in a vacuum. In the next two days, its work will be completed and it will join the cascades that have started enrichment."

The senior lawmaker added, "This measure will increase the uranium enrichment capacity in the country."

Zonnour also declared "the IR4 cascade will be operated soon and is about to be launched, which is an important step. The capacity of this cascade is similar to that of IR2Ms and it has a production capacity of 5 to 6 SWUs."

He said: "Scientists have also installed the IR6 centrifuges. This important change is more important than the previous two measures because the capacity of IR6 is about 10 SWUs and it has 10 times the enrichment capacity of existing IR1 centrifuges."

The chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the parliament emphasized, "These measures were legal obligations [in according to the parliament's bill]."

He further stressed that "It is planned to install IR6 centrifuges according to the schedule, the first cascade of which has been installed and this is the most important step in the development of the nuclear industry."

He concluded "Iran has taken three important steps to reduce its JCPOA obligations", warning that time is running out for the US and Europeans.