Iranian news agency reports Iran has activated new cascade of enrichment centrifuges

Wednesday, October 25th 2006, 9:01 am

By: News On 6

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ Iran has expanded its controversial nuclear work by starting a second cascade of centrifuges to enrich uranium, a semi-official news agency reported Wednesday.

The news came as world powers moved toward introducing a draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council that would impose limited sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to halt enrichment _ a process that can produce material for nuclear power reactors or weapons.

The Iranian Students News Agency quoted an anonymous official Wednesday as saying that Iran had started a second cascade of centrifuges two weeks ago and that ``gas will be injected into the cascade during the current week.''

``We will exploit the new product from the injection,'' ISNA quoted the official as saying, meaning that Iran would use the enriched uranium obtained by inserting gas into the centrifuges.

The report could not be immediately corroborated, as Iranian officials were celebrating the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Neither the official Islamic Republic News Agency nor state television and radio carried the report by ISNA, an agency that receives state funding via the national universities.