Iran possesses 6,000 centrifuges, president says

TEHRAN, Iran — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran now possesses 6,000 centrifuges, a significant increase in the number of uranium-enriching machines in its nuclear program. The semi-official Fars news agency is reporting the comments from Mr. Ahmadinejad to university professors in the northeastern city of Mashhad. The new figure is double the 3,000 centrifuges Iran had previously said it was operating in its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. In April, Mr. Ahmadinejad said Iran had begun installing 6,000 centrifuges at Natanz. The announcement is another act of defiance in the face of demands by the United States and other world powers for Iran to halt its enrichment work, which Washington and its allies fear Iran is intent on using to develop weapons. However, Mr. Ahmadinejad is quoted as saying those nations — the... [read full story]