Iranian President announces the start of the installation of 6.000 new
centrifuges.

TEHRAN, IRAN (APRIL 8, 2008) (IRINN)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday (April 8) that
Iran had started to install 6,000 advanced centrifuges in its underground
Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
    Ahmadinejad visited the compound located in central Iran, northwest of
Isfahan province before making the announcement to reporters outside.
    "Today, the installation of 6,000 new centrifuges has started and
(we) have started to gain new achievements that, God willing, I will talk
about tonight in the ceremony which is going to be held. The technical and
industrial achievements in this field related to nuclear issue are
incredible," he said.
    Ahmadinejad's announcement is a new snub to the U.N. Security Council
which since late 2006 has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Tehran for
refusing to halt enrichment work.
    Iran says the sanctions, targeting its nuclear and military sectors as
well as its financial transactions with other world powers, has not harmed the
Islamic state.
    Diplomats in Vienna told Reuters last week that Tehran was installing
advanced enrichment centrifuges at the underground Natanz facility,
accelerating activity that could give Iran the means to make atom bombs in the
future if it chose to.
    Enriched uranium can be used as fuel in nuclear power plants or, if
refined much more, explosive material for weapons. 
    Nuclear analysts say around 1,500 centrifuges would be needed for Iran
to manufacture the minimum 20 kg (45 kg) of highly enriched uranium needed for
one crude warhead.
    Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, says it wants nuclear
technology to generate electricity.
    The president will give a speech later on Tuesday in a ceremony in
Tehran to celebrate Iran's National Day of Nuclear Technology.