Iran is testing an advanced centrifuge at its Natanz nuclear complex, a move that could lead to Tehran enriching uranium much faster and gaining ability to build nuclear weapons.
International diplomats tracking Iran's dossier said it had started mechanical tests, without nuclear material inside, of a more efficient model in the pilot wing of the vast Natanz plant. "The Iranians have begun to run in the advanced model. It's not yet known what stage the testing has reached or exactly how many there are, although it appears to be several dozen," said a Western diplomat with access to intelligence.
A senior diplomat familiar with the International Atomic Energy Agency's file on Iran confirmed it recently began testing centrifuges based on a "P-2" design, used more recently in the West and able to enrich uranium 2-3 times as fast as the P-1.
He declined to elaborate, saying details would come in a report which IAEA Director, Mohammed El Baradei, will deliver to the Vienna-based agency's 35 nation Board of Governors and the UN Security Council later this month.
It was not known how successful the "dry runs" with the new machines had been
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