Iran to Triple Uranium Enrichment

Iran plans to triple its production of enriched uranium at its Fordow nuclear facility, according to a June 19 report from the Institute for Science and International Security.

Centrifuges: The report states that Iran recently informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that over the next three to four weeks, eight cascades, or clusters, of IR-6 centrifuges will be installed at the Fordow Enrichment Facility. This will bring Iran’s total to nearly 1,400 advanced centrifuges.

According to nuclear weapons expert and Institute president David Albright, this will increase the facility’s ability to enrich uranium by 360 percent.

People didn’t know they had that many [centrifuges] ready to go. … At the Fordow plant, the centrifuges are called the IR-6s and it’s the most advanced centrifuge Iran operates.
—David Albright

Weapons: Fordow could soon have enough enriched uranium that:

• In a couple of weeks, Iran could produce three nuclear weapons.
• In one month, it could produce five.
• In two months, it could produce nine.

Iran has not only the material to build a nuclear weapon, but also the means and the will to do it quickly.

Learn more: Read “Iran Has the Bomb.”