IAEA: Iran has installed four new cascades of centrifuges at Fordow

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran has installed half of the advanced uranium enrichment devices at the underground site of Fordow, which it had previously announced, but has not yet activated them. The IAEA's report, which Reuters claims to have seen a copy of, states that Iran has installed four out of eight new IR-6 centrifuge cascades at Fordow, but it is unclear when uranium will be injected into them. Two weeks ago, Iran informed the IAEA that it intends to rapidly increase its enrichment capacity at the Fordow site by adding eight new cascades of IR-6 centrifuges. The IAEA confirmed within two days that Iran had completed two new cascades of IR-6 centrifuges in Unit 1 by June 22. The report confirmed that 'Iran informed the agency on June 20 and 21 that it would install eight cascades containing 174 IR-6 centrifuges in Unit 1 of the Fordow enrichment facility within three to four weeks.' The IR-6 is one of the most advanced centrifuge models in Iran's nuclear facilities. In response to a resolution from the Board of Governors, Iran is 'expanding its uranium enrichment capacity.' The IAEA now states that 'Tehran has not yet announced when it will begin injecting uranium hexafluoride gas into any of the cascades in Unit 1, nor has it determined its desired enrichment level.' Diplomats say the installation of new IR-6 centrifuges is a response to a resolution issued by the IAEA Board of Governors against Iran on June 6, which called for increased cooperation from Tehran with the agency and the lifting of recent restrictions imposed by Tehran on inspectors. The Board of Governors requested that the Islamic Republic of Iran 'immediately' respond to inspectors' questions about the origin of uranium particles discovered at its undeclared sites. Iran has previously reacted to Board of Governors resolutions, and following the adoption of the previous resolution in 2022, it raised its uranium enrichment level to 60%, which is close to the level necessary for producing nuclear weapons. The resolution against Iran on June 6 was adopted with 20 votes in favor, while China and Russia opposed it, and 12 countries abstained. This resolution deemed the presence of experienced agency inspectors in inspections of Iran's nuclear activities as 'vital' and urged Tehran to lift the ban on these inspectors' activities. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials considered the adoption of this resolution as 'non-constructive,' and the spokesperson for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization stated that the Islamic Republic would not yield to 'pressure.'