Iran to mass produce speedier centrifuges

Iran said it will soon begin mass production of centrifuges capable of enriching uranium, the most controversial part of its nuclear programme, three times faster than existing systems.
Atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said the Islamic republic also now possessed the technical know-how to manufacture the fuel pellets required to power atomic reactors.
"The mass production of second generation centrifuges will begin in the coming months," Salehi said on state television late Saturday.
On Friday Iran unveiled a third generation centrifuge it said can enrich uranium six times faster than the IR-1 system at its plant in the central city of Natanz.
The Natanz facility has a capacity of 60,000 centrifuges, and Iran has been steadily enriching uranium there for years in defiance of three sets of UN sanctions and threat of a fourth.
Uranium enrichment lies at the heart of the controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear programme as the material can be used either to power a nuclear reactor or to make an atom bomb.
the Islamic republic has also started mass-producing a new medium-range anti-aircraft missile, state media reported on Sunday quoting Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi.
Vahidi said the missile named Mersad (Ambush) "can destroy modern planes in low and medium altitudes," without elaborating on its actual range.
"The system is highly dynamic, capable of combat in electronic warfare and to be linked with other radar and air defence systems," he said after the launch according to the state broadcaster.
"Its mass-production has begun and a sizeable number will be delivered to the armed forces this year," he added.