Iranian Nuclear Physicist Dr. Hassan Ghafuri-Fard: We Will Have 54,000-60,000 Centrifuges within Two Years

Following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian Nuclear Physicist Dr. Hassan Ghafuri-Fard which was aired on Channel 3 of the Iranian TV on April 12, 2006:

Dr. Hassan Ghafuri-Fard: At the present stage, (our uranium enrichment) is for laboratory purposes. We have achieved fuel for the reactor in laboratory quantities. As I have said, in the next stage, which we hope will be completed by the end of this year - and we hope this will be a gift for the new (Iranian) year - we will increase the number of our (centrifuges) from 164 to 3,000. This will be the stage of semi-industrial fuel.

Then we will have to obtain at least 54,000-60,000 (centrifuges), in order to produce industrial fuel for our reactor. This process will take between one and two years. We plan to produce 20,000 MW of nuclear electricity. The Bushehr reactor will be the first to produce electricity - 1,000 MW. We have also signed contracts for two more reactors, and 17 more will be signed in the future. within one or two years, we will be able to produce fuel for these reactors.