Iran announced a dramatic expansion of its uranium enrichment program on Monday, saying it has begun operating 3,000 centrifuges - nearly 10 times the previously known number - in defiance of UN demands that it halt the program or face increased sanctions. The announcement brought quick condemnation from the United States and Europe. "I proudly announce that as of today Iran is among the countries which produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a gathering at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran.Iran, which announced a year ago it had produced its first tiny batch of enriched uranium, had said it would install 3,000 centrifuges as a first stage toward "industrial-scale" output. Until now, Iran was only known to have 328 centrifuges operating.
Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted by Mehr News Agency as saying Iran had "reached the capacity of 3,000." Asked if feedstock uranium gas had been injected into them, he told reporters: "Yes, we have injected gas." He did not elaborate if all the centrifuges were working.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that Iran's actions are the reason the UN Security Council and the UN nuclear watchdog "don't believe Iran's assurances that their [nuclear] program is peaceful in nature." The White House said that it was "very concerned" that Tehran had started industrial atomic work.