Gas injection into IR-5 centrifuges has not stopped: Iran’s FM Spokeswoman

The Islamic Republic of Iran has played down reports that it has agreed to stop injecting gas into its first-generation centrifuges.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Marzieh Afkham said on Tuesday that Iran began testing the IR-5 centrifuges before it reached an interim nuclear deal with P5+1 in Geneva last November, adding the tests have continued after the agreement as well.

Under a deal reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany, the six countries undertook to provide Tehran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.

Afkham said Tehran once again tested the IR-5 centrifuges in March in line with nuclear research agenda of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

“All reports by the [International Atomic Energy] Agency over the past seven months verified the Islamic Republic of Iran’s commitment to the Geneva deal and no case has been reported about any violation of the agreement,” the Iranian spokeswoman added.

She described such reports as media propaganda and said Iran would test the centrifuges whenever it deems necessary.

Afkham’s remarks came after the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) claimed that Iran may have violated the interim deal by starting to inject natural uranium gas into its IR-5 centrifuges.