nuclear facility (illustrative)
nuclear facility (illustrative)Flash 90

Iran is adding thousands of advanced centrifuges to further enrich uranium into nuclear fuel, Tehran's state-run media reported Sunday. Some 3,000 centrifuges are being built, according to the report, which said the equipment is being installed at the Natanz nuclear plant.

This is the first time officials have announced details about the number of machines being installed at the plant, although plans for the equipment had been made public earlier in the year.

Nearly two weeks ago, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned the Islamic Republic had begun the process of installing the advanced equipment at Natanz.

At the time, the U.S. warned that if the information was confirmed, it would be considered “another provocative step.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Sunday at the weekly government cabinet meeting that as international talks over Iran’s nuclear development activities dragged on recently, “the only thing that was achieved was to stall for time during which Iran intends to continue enriching nuclear material for an atomic bomb, and it is indeed continuing toward this goal.”