AEOI Chief Blasts Media Fabrications over Iran’s Demanded Number of Centrifuges

EHRAN (FNA)- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi lashed out at the western media lies and fabrications about Iran's demanded number of centrifuge machines during the talks with the world powers in Vienna, and said Iran is in need of 190,000 SWU (Separative Work Unit) to fuel its power and research reactors.

"We need almost 190,000 SWU for an agreed time interval, meaning the next 8 years, to provide fuel for Bushehr nuclear power plant so that we can provide the fuel for this power plant, Tehran research reactor and Arak reactor after the end of our contract with Russia (which has built Bushehr nuclear power plant)," Salehi told FNA on Tuesday.

"We don't define enrichment on the basis of the centrifuge machines, but on the basis of its unit, that is SWU," he explained.

Salehi underlined that the number of centrifuges needed for having 190,000 SWUs depends on the type of the centrifuge machines.

He said Iran's first generation IR1 centrifuge machines have a nominal output of over 3 SWUs, but in practice they yield less than 2 SWUs, meaning that "if we want to reach the above-mentioned 190,000 SWUs with the help of these (IR1) machines, then we would need more numbers, while if we use the (the fourth generation) IR4 centrifuge machines which yield 24 SWUs, then we would need less than 10,000 centrifuge machines".

"Thus, the hues and cries about the number of centrifuges are deliberate deviations from the reality as we have defined our needs based on SWUs, and not on the basis of centrifuge machines," Salehi said.

He also reiterated that Iran needs centrifuges with 190,000 SWU to supply the annual needs of its nuclear power plant in Bushehr.

In relevant remarks last night, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei rejected the world powers' demand from Iran to suffice to 10,000 SWU for enriching uranium, and underlined, "According to the relevant (Iranian) officials the country definitely needs 190,000 SWU."

Also on Thursday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and senior negotiator Seyed Abbas Araqchi rejected media reports alleging that Iran has reduced the number of the centrifuges that it wants to have.

A Thursday report by Reuters cited “a Western diplomat” as saying that “Iran has reduced the number of centrifuges it wants". According to the report, diplomats claimed that the Islamic Republic had signaled it would settle for a lower figure than 50,000 centrifuges.

"All the figures which are reported on the number of centrifuges are the figment of the imagination of some foreign media," Araqchi said.

Also on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Facebook page that the western media speculations on the nuclear discussions between Tehran and the Group5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) should not be taken seriously as they attempt to influence the negotiations instead of reporting the events.

The sixth round of talks between Tehran and the G5+1 headed by Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton officially started in Vienna early last week and is still continuing in the Austrian capital with both sides describing the negotiations as hard, but constructive and positive.