BICOM

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation yesterday appeared to confirm that the installation of uranium centrifuges at the key Fordow plant is being completed.

A report appeared last week in Reuters which quoted Western diplomats claiming that the last of 640 of some 2,800 centrifuges at Fordow have recently been installed. This would be considered a step forward in Iran’s nuclear programme, as it would boost Iran’s capacity to produce weapons-grade uranium. There is particular concern about the Fordow plant, as it is well-hidden, built into the side of a mountain and uranium there is thought to be refined to a fissile concentration of 20 per cent. This would make the uranium only a small technical step away from weapons-grade material. Iran only disclosed the existence of the Fordow plant in 2009 after learning that Western intelligence services had detected it.

Yesterday, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Fereydoun Abbasi appeared to confirm Western fears over Fordow. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Abbasi told the Iranian Fars news agency, “Iran is completing its nuclear activities regardless of the negative Western media speculations and reports.” Asked about the media reports concerning Fordow, he said “We are doing our job according to our specified timeline and we are accomplishing [our goals]…Our response to such reports is working harder.” Abbasi’s comments come just days after Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned, during a visit to the UK, that the “moment of truth” over Iran’s nuclear programme would likely arrive in 8-10 months time.