The comments mean that Iran is now operating double the amount of advanced centrifuges than was previously known.
ADVERTISEMENTThe head of Iran's nuclear program said on Monday that Tehran was operating 60 IR-6 advanced centrifuges in violation of its atomic deal with world powers.
The comments by Ali Akbar Salehi mean that Iran is now operating double the amount of advanced centrifuges than was previously known.
Salehi made the announcement to state TV on the 40th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
An IR-6 centrifuge can produce enriched uranium 10 times as fast as the first-generation IR-1s allowed under the accord.
The nuclear deal limited Iran to using only 5,060 first-generation IR-1 centrifuges to enrich uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas.
By starting up these advanced centrifuges, Iran further cuts into the one-year time limit that experts estimate Tehran would need to have enough material to build a nuclear weapon, if it chose to pursue one.