MNA – Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi says that Iran has been injecting uranium hexafluoride into IR-8 centrifuges since 3 years ago, adding that the country has the capability of mass production of the machines.

Speaking to Iranian state TV-IRIB 4 on the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) detailed the nuclear achievements since the 1979 Revolution.

Salehi said that Iran has now developed an independent nuclear technology, adding that the country has faced no restrictions in research and development of its nuclear technology.

He said that Iran’s restrictions are related to production of centrifuge machines, explaining “we have accepted restrictions on testing of a variety of centrifuge machines in a period of eight years.”

The nuclear chief added “for Europeans, a centrifuge takes eight years from designing to become operational, while the process takes us ten years.”

“In the last three years, although we have injected gas into the IR-8 centrifuge, we see problems in that on a daily basis, and there have to be many experiments carried out and all of them have to be successful in order to reach the mass production,” he said.

We need time for more experiments on the IR-8, but we already have the capablity for its mass production, Salehi added.

Salehi went on to talk about the advantages of remaining in the nuclear deal, which is also known as the JCPOA, saying that thanks to the deal, Iran has marinated the right to enrich uranium.

He also said that there is no consensus against Iran anymore in comparison to the time he was holding the post of foreign minister back in 2012.

He further explained “I am in charge of the technical issues [of the nuclear industry]. Technically speaking I can say we have not lost anything as the history can testify. We carry out our exploration and extraction, we have our own enrichment, we provide services to other industries, we make new centrifuges and do all we need to do, but this time in a correct way.”

The nuclear chief further said that “next week, the 30th and and 31th of February, I will go to Ardakan to oversea the transport of 30 tons of yellowcake produced in Iran from there to Isfahan [site]. That means that the Ardakan site has become operational.”