Iran installing and starting cascades of advanced centrifuges as tensions high over nuclear program

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has started up new cascades of advanced centrifuges and plans to install others in the coming weeks after facing criticism over its nuclear program. That’s according to a statement from the United Nations’ atomic watchdog on Friday. It said its inspectors verified Monday that Iran had begun feeding uranium into three cascades of advanced IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to more quickly enrich the uranium. Other cascades will be installed at Natanz and Iran’s facility at Fordo. These are moves that the U.S. has called “nuclear escalations.”