The prospect of Iran achieving nuclear breakout capability is becoming more imminent. Reports this past weekend indicate that Iran has built the infrastructure needed for operating more efficient and advanced centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. The Iranian regime will be able to dramatically shorten the time required to produce fuel for a nuclear weapon once it installs and begins operating these centrifuges. In addition, Iran could expand its stockpile of enriched uranium up to 20 percent faster using advanced centrifuges at Fordow.
The press reports suggest that the infrastructure at Fordow could support several thousand advanced centrifuges. Iran has previously told the IAEA that it intends to operate around 3,000 centrifuges there. Its current declared inventory of advanced centrifuges, the IR-2 and IR-4, are located at the Natanz Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant. The IAEA noted in its last report that Iran installed a full cascade of 164 IR-2 centrifuges and smaller cascades of IR-2 and IR-4 centrifuges at Natanz. Any additional inventory of advanced centrifuges has not been accounted for in previous IAEA reports, possibly due to Iran’s refusal to grant the IAEA access to facilities where it builds centrifuges. The diplomats briefing journalists on this development also indicated that the reconfiguration of cascades at Fordow for the production of weapons-grade uranium could be completed “within days.”
