IAEA report shows Iran’s technical progress: Iranian ambassador

TEHRAN,May 25(MNA) – The International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear program shows the country’s technical progress, the Iranian ambassador to the UN nuclear agency said on Thursday. Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh made the remarks in Vienna, where the IAEA headquarters is located, a day after the UN nuclear report was published, which showed Iran’s efforts to accelerate its uranium enrichment program. Soltanieh said that the report showed “Iran has fully mastered the nuclear technology, particularly enrichment.” He added, “Another message of the report is that despite all the propaganda by Western media, the agency has found no evidence of diversion from nuclear materials and activities toward military purposes and that all centrifuge machines and each gram of uranium are under the full supervision of the agency.” According to Reuters, the IAEA report said that Iran was pressing ahead with installing a more efficient version known as the IR-2m at its main enrichment plant near the central town of Natanz. According to the report, it has also put in place another centrifuge type, the IR-5, for the first time at a research and development facility at Natanz, joining five others being tested there. In addition, the IAEA report said that 509 IR-2m centrifuges and empty centrifuge casings had been installed since February, bringing the total to nearly 700, none of which were yet operating. “Preparatory installation work” has been completed for many more, it said. Centrifuges spin at supersonic speed to increase the fissile isotope in uranium. And according to AFP, the report shows Iran has so far produced 324 kg of 20-percent enriched uranium, 44 kg more than three months ago, but that 140.8 kg had been diverted to fuel production, up from 111 kg.