Rafsanjani: Iran producing atomic fuel

KUWAIT (Reuters) – Iran is producing enriched uranium from
164 centrifuges, influential former Iranian President Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani told Kuwait’s KUNA news agency on Tuesday.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he would announce
“good news” about Iran’s atomic program later on Tuesday. Media
speculated he would announce the production of low-grade
enriched uranium suitable for running atomic power stations.

The announcement is likely to anger the West and the United
Nations, which have demanded that the Islamic Republic halt its
atomic work.

“We operated the first unit which comprises of 164
centrifuges, gas was injected, and we got the industrial
output,” Rafsanjani said in an interview.

“There needs to be an expansion of operations if we are to
have a complete industrial unit; tens of units are required to
set up a uranium enrichment plant,” he added.

The West fears Iran could be using its power station
program as a smokescreen for building atomic bombs, a charge
Tehran denies.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in March Iran
had started testing 20 centrifuges.

Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy
Organization, said in February Iran had started work on uranium
fuel but only using a few centrifuges. He said then Iran was
months away from operating a full cascade.

Each chain contains 164 centrifuges. Such cascades refine
uranium gas into fuel for power stations, or if highly
enriched, for bombs.

Around 1,500 centrifuges running optimally for a year could
yield enough material for a bomb, experts say.