THE IRANIAN GAS CENTRIFUGE URANIUM ENRICHMENT PLANT

DRAWING FROM COMMERCIAL SATELLITE IMAGES

DAVID ALBRIGHT AND COREY HINDERSTEIN

THE INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY (ISIS)

March 14, 2003

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Iran is building a high security uranium enrichment facility using gas centrifuges near Natanz. This site is about 40 kilometers southeast of Kashan and about 150 kilometers north of Isfahan. The IAEA has characterized the centrifuges at this site as sophisticated and the culmination of a large, expensive effort.

Iran has demonstrated a capability possessed by only about ten countries. Because of the characteristics of gas centrifuges, the Iranian facility could be used for the production of low enriched uranium for civil purposes or highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons, depending on the decision of the Iranian government.

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