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Iran's Latest Advanced Centrifuge Deployment
By David Albright, Sarah Burkhard, and Spencer Faragasso
August 4, 2022
Iran just announced that it has recently installed or plans to install in the near term almost 1570 new
advanced centrifuges. This represents a 70 percent increase from the number of advanced centrifuges
installed as of last May. Iran’s announcement, if fully implemented, puts it well on its way to achieving
about 4450 installed advanced centrifuges at all three enrichment plants by the end of 2022.
Some of the just announced growth is in line with Iran’s long-standing plans about the IR-6 centrifuge
and its 2020 nuclear law. However, this announcement, particularly that concerning the six IR-2m
centrifuge cascades, may also be part of a scare tactic to affect the renewed Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action (JCPOA) negotiations, agreed to by an accommodating European Commission and held
conveniently two days after Iran’s announcement.
On August 2, 2022, Iran announced this advanced centrifuge growth to the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), which promptly reported it to its member states. Iran informed the IAEA that it
had “started running” three newly installed IR-6 cascades at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP).
The three new cascades bring Iran’s total number of IR-6 from about 500 to over 1000 machines.
Surprisingly, the announcement included that Iran intends to “install an additional six IR-2m cascades
at FEP” which translates to another approximately 1000 advanced IR-2m centrifuges. Are these
additional planned machines coming from storage? Or are they newly built machines? In the former
case, they may have been stored in secret under the JCPOA. If the latter, it would indicate that Iran
has overcome its difficulties in procuring or making maraging steel components.
However, as Iran
may be making IR-6 centrifuges with maraging steel parts as well, it could also be another indication
that the IR-6, contrary to Iran’s statements, is not more efficient than the IR-2m and that Iran is not
giving up on its earlier, more trusted model.
Whatever the case, Iran intends to shock with this
announcement and reality may see far fewer centrifuges deployed or they do not work as well as
expected, as is the case with the IR-6 centrifuge.
IAEA Director General, Verification and Monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council Resolution
2231 (2015), GOV/INF/2022/17, August 3, 2022.
David Albright and Sarah Burkhard, “Further Indications of Iran’s Renewed Interest in Maraging Steel for its Nuclear Enrichment
Program,” Institute for Science and International Security, July 14, 2022, https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/further-indications-of-
irans-renewed-interest-in-maraging-steel.
Albright and Burkhard, “The IR-6 Centrifuge Needs Further Development,” Institute for Science and International Security, July 14, 2022,
https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/the-ir-6-centrifuge-needs-further-development.
