“Atomic energy”: Iran has started enriching uranium in Fordo with modern equipment

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, Saturday, that Iran began enriching uranium at the Fordo facility using modern centrifuges, “IR6.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report seen by Reuters that Iran increased the level of uranium enrichment through the use of advanced devices in the Fordo underground facility.

The confidential report addressed to member states added that the Agency verified that Iran had begun to feed a group of 166 IRR-6 centrifuges with up to five percent enriched uranium hexafluoride gas.

The report stated that Iran had informed the Agency that it intended to use the devices to bring them to a level of purity of 20%, which is less than 60% produced in other facilities and about 90% needed to produce weapons.

In September 2009, it was revealed that Iran had a second uranium enrichment plant near the village of Fordo, which was carved in the mountains south of Tehran. It is the first and one of Iran’s most important enrichment plants.

According to lore, the facility was secretly built in 2006, below 80 meters below a mountain pyramid rich in solid rock to protect against attack.

In 2009, however, Western intelligence revealed its existence, specifically through US President Barack Obama, when it was reported to include 3,000 centrifuges.