Iran is moving ahead to update a programme the West fears could be used to make nuclear weapons, diplomats said on Wednesday, despite high-level diplomacy aimed at stopping it from doing so.
Three diplomats said Tehran now has installed close to 700 high-tech centrifuges in an upgrade of its uranium enrichment program since start of year. That represents an increase of about 100 since mid-April, when diplomats said that Iran was rapidly installing the equipment.
Tehran says it is enriching uranium only for peaceful uses. But US and its allies fear it may enrich to levels used for nuclear bombs. Islamic Republic is under UN Security Council and other sanctions for refusing to stop enrichment and International Atomic Energy Agency is attempting to probe suspicions it may have worked on nuclear weapons. Other countries say there is no proof that Iran intends to use technology for weapons, and they support Iran’s claim that Security Council sanctions because of its refusal to stop enriching are illegal.