Iran Enriches to 20 Percent With New Centrifuges at Fortified Site

Iran Enriches to 20 Percent With New Centrifuges at Fortified Site
Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi (R) speaks with deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi at Imam Khomeini Airport, in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 22, 2021. Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:

TEHRAN, Iran—Iran announced Sunday that it has begun enriching uranium up to 20 percent using sophisticated centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear plant, state TV reported, an escalation that comes amid a standoff with the West over its tattered atomic deal.

That Tehran is enriching uranium up to 20 percent purity—a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent—with a new set of its most advanced centrifuges at a facility deep inside a mountain deals yet another blow to the already slim chances of reviving the accord.