Iran starts to build advanced centrifuges

Iran has started work to prepare the infrastructure for building advanced centrifuges, the head of the country’s atomic energy agency said Tuesday.

“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has begun its infrastructure activities within the framework of the country's Safeguards commitments since the beginning of the 2nd term in office of President Hassan Rouhani.” AEOI Head Ali Akbar Salehi told a press conference in Tehran.

He reiterated that Tehran would respect the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

We are “going to launch and accelerate some activities within the agreement framework,” he said.

On Monday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on the country’s atomic energy agency to prepare for increasing uranium enrichment.

Khamenei ordered the AEOI to get prepared for a rise to 190,000 centrifuges within the framework of the nuclear deal.

The Iranian leader’s call has quickly drawn fire from Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

“Khamenei’s decision to increase uranium enrichment capacity is a sign of the hysteria and panic in the Iranian leadership,” he said in statements on Tuesday.

He said that all options were on the table regarding Iran, which Israel sees as an enemy.

"We won’t accept their presence in Syria. They have missiles with hundreds of KM range and it does not matter from which spot in Syria they fire them," he said.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran.

Iranian officials have since said the agreement would continue to remain in effect, and necessary measures would be taken to continue the country’s oil and gas exports, and maintain its market share.