No Deal on Number of Iran’s Centrifuges: Source
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A source close to Iran's team of nuclear negotiators engaged in nuclear talks with world powers dismissed reports that Tehran has acceded to a reduction in the number of its centrifuges to 7,000.
“No agreement has been made on the issues that are being discussed,” the source said on Saturday.
The comments came in response to media speculations suggesting Iran has budged on the number of its enrichment centrifuges, which seems to be sticking point in the negotiations between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
On September 5, Al-Monitor had cited an unnamed Iranian source as saying that Tehran might be willing to scale down from 10,000 centrifuges to 7,000, which would entail a breakout period of about six months.
The US-based website also noted that much will depend on the duration of a deal and how long any restrictions on the Iranian program would remain in place.
Iranian official have made it clear that the country's uranium enrichment capacity should stand at 190,000 Separative Work Units (SWUs). Such enrichment capacity, however, would depend on the power of the centrifuges, machines that purify uranium for use as fuel in reactors.
