Salehi: Facilities for Advanced Centrifuge Production to be Completed Next Month

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, stated on Wednesday, June 6, that the facilities necessary for the production of advanced centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear center will be ready in a month. This announcement follows the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, after which the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic instructed the Atomic Energy Organization to prepare for Iran's enrichment capacity of 190,000 SW 'currently within the framework of the JCPOA.' Iran's current enrichment capacity is about 6,000 SW, and the need for 190,000 SW (separation units for uranium isotopes) was one of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's red lines before reaching the JCPOA nuclear agreement. Khamenei also requested the Atomic Energy Organization to start 'some other preparations' that the Iranian President had previously instructed to begin from June 5. His reference was to Hassan Rouhani's statements just minutes after the announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, instructing the Atomic Energy Organization to be prepared for 'unrestricted industrial enrichment.' He also stated that Iran would wait a few weeks to implement this decision to negotiate with the countries that signed the JCPOA and remained loyal to it. 'For now, we will not take any actions contrary to the JCPOA.' Salehi expressed hope that all halls of the Natanz center would be ready within a month. In a special news interview conducted at the Natanz site, Salehi added that after the Supreme Leader's directive for preparing the work at this center, 'activities began quickly and seriously, and within 48 hours, the place you see now took shape.' The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization had also announced a day after Khamenei's directive that 'the infrastructure for creating several hundred thousand SW' in Natanz is ready, and Iran's new actions are 'not contrary to the JCPOA.' Salehi added that 'if we want to assemble new centrifuges in a situation where the JCPOA collapses, we will definitely assemble the new generation, but for now, we are acting within the framework of the JCPOA and will not take any actions contrary to it.' According to the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, the Islamic Republic could reach an enrichment capacity of 190,000 SW within a year and a half or two years if it exits the JCPOA. He also did not consider the mentioned actions by Iran as a sign of failure in the political negotiations to preserve the JCPOA between Iran and Europe. In response to Iran's recent announced actions to increase enrichment capacity, the spokesperson for Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated that while this decision does not violate the JCPOA, it does not help build trust regarding the nature of Iran's nuclear program at this 'sensitive juncture.' Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister and one of the countries loyal to the JCPOA, described the Supreme Leader's directive to the Atomic Energy Organization as close to a 'red line,' but still 'completely' within the framework of the JCPOA. He stated, 'This is not a good path. This action indicates a kind of provocation... playing with red lines is always dangerous.' Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that Khamenei's directive is a move for 'unlimited enrichment to produce a stockpile of nuclear bombs' and 'the destruction of Israel.' Reza Najafi, Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, also sharply criticized the U.S. for its withdrawal from the JCPOA, warning that the Islamic Republic will not accept continuing its commitments under the JCPOA while being sanctioned. Although France, Britain, and Germany have stated they will adhere to their commitments under the JCPOA and are trying to devise measures against U.S. sanctions, several major European companies have recently announced they are ending their business relations with Iran due to U.S. sanctions.