Iran Confirms Building 3,000 Advanced Centrifuges for Uranium Enrichment

Iran has officially confirmed that it is building 3,000 advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment as Israel continues to accuse Tehran of "buying time" for its atom bomb.

"The final production line of [new] centrifuges has finished. The early generation of these centrifuges which have low efficiency will be put away soon," said the chief of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Fereydoun Abbasi.

The news has come following Iran's latest talks with P5+1 powers (Britain, the US, China, France, and Russia + Germany) which failed to provide any breakthrough.

Although Tehran had earlier announced about the proposed installation of IR-2m centrifuges at the Natanz facility, this is the first time the country has come out with a definite figure.

The centrifuges, which are capable of producing enriched uranium in a shorter period of time, will only be used for five percent enrichment, said Abbasi.

He added: "We are ready to cooperate with foreign parties in the construction of power reactors and so far we have had proposals from Russia and some Western countries in this regard."

Iran is believed to possess around 12,000 first generation centrifuges at the Natanz facility alone while the UN's nuclear arm says the latest second generation centrifuges have not been operational so far.

Abbasi said before the next round of talks with the P5+1, Iran will declare other new achievements as "political backup".

"Our political team should head into the March negotiations with specialised backup and we have enough achievements in this regard. Iran wants the nation's nuclear rights to be observed and that no commitment more than those included in signed treaties be demanded of us," said the AEOI chief.

Iran's staunch critic Israel continues to accuse Tehran of buying more time through the talks so that it can build an atomic bomb.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet: "My impression from these talks is that the only thing that is gained from them is a buying of time, and through this time-buying Iran intends to continue enriching nuclear material for an atomic bomb and is indeed getting closer to this goal."