Iran is preparing to inject uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into a brand new Iran-made centrifuge machine, known as IR8, in the near future, Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Asghar Zarean said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Zarean emphasized that this development will increase Iran’s capability to enrich uranium, and remind world powers of how the nation’s capability to replace old centrifuge machines with new ones may also be reflected in their potential capacity to replace their nuclear program should the 2015 nuclear agreement be violated.

“The mechanical tests of IR8 machine which has been made by Iranian experts and is fully indigenized have ended and we will inject uranium gas into a single machine within the framework of the nuclear deal in Natanz and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the very near future,” Zarean said on Wednesday, as quoted by the Fars News Agency.

On July 14, 2015, Iran and the P5 + 1 group of countries (comprising Russia, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Germany) signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. Under this agreement, Iran stated that it would not further seek to develop or acquire nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of sanctions imposed against Iran.

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