Iran to Expand Nuclear Program

The director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, said in Tehran today that Iran plans to install 50,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges at Natanz within the next five years.

Aghazadeh wanted to convey the message that the coming to power of the new US administration has not changed Iran’s resolve to continue its nuclear program.

“Our plans to install and run centrifuges are not based on political conditions,” Aghazadeh said.

Installing 50,000 centrifuges would increase Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities by at least 10-fold.

Although Iran has repeatedly said that Obama administration should not put pre-conditions before starting serious negotiations with Iran, Aghazadeh’s announcement does act as a pre-condition by Iran: the nature and the limit of the country’s uranium enrichment program is non-negotiable, off the table.