Iran’s Bold Nuclear Expansion Risks Global Fallout

Iran said on Friday it had started activating “new advanced centrifuges”, expanding its nuclear activity in a move that risks escalating tensions with the west, weeks before US president-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the activation of the centrifuges, used to enrich uranium, was in response to a US and European-backed resolution by the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency that rebuked Tehran for its lack of co-operation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

The latest moves underline the challenges of resolving the years-long stand-off between the Islamic republic and the west, as the US and European governments fear Iran is edging closer to being able to produce nuclear weapons.

The IAEA board resolution, passed late on Thursday, called for the UN watchdog to compile a “comprehensive report” into Iran’s nuclear activities. The report could be used by western allies to make their case internationally next year if they trigger a so-called snapback process, leading to the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran.

The resolution — drafted by the UK, Germany and France and backed by the US — said Iran had failed to co-operate with a long-running IAEA probe into past nuclear activity at three undeclared sites.