Nuclear expert Olli Henoinen told Congress Tuesday, "Today we don't know how many centrifuges Iran has."
Although the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has some information on Iran's centrifuges, according to Henoinen, "it has not got the total number of centrifuges produced."
Henoinen, the former Deputy Director of the IAEA, made the remarks while testifying before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Henoinen said that Iran "is still likely building additional centrifuges", and that in his view, "one should put a cap to this and not to wait. The problem doesn't become easier by waiting."
The IAEA reported last summer that Iran was preparing to test about 1,000 new advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges. They had also built 2,000 more of the older, slower IR-1 centrifuges.
Full exchange:
REP. ELIOT ENGEL: OK. Let me talk about an editorial that was in The Washington Post a few weeks ago, three weeks ago, perhaps. The editorial argued -- and I said this in my opening statement -- that the -- that we can afford to wait, that perhaps time is on our side and if the date comes up in July and we don't have a comprehensive agreement, that it might be in the best interests of the United States to put it back another month or two or three or four; that Iran is still undergoing a lot of economic difficulty as a result of the sanctions and that we might have more leverage if we let the date lapse beyond the July 20th date. That was essentially a Washington Post editorial.
Anybody have any thoughts on that? Mr. Heinonen.
OLLI HEINONEN: First of all, we should not forget that this Joint Plan of Action is very limited. Today we don't know how many centrifuges Iran has. IAEA has got some declaration about the manufacturing of the replacements of the centrifuges, but it has not got the total number of centrifuges produced.
So what's happening now in next few months -- Iran is still likely building additional centrifuges. It's manufacturing components for the Arak reactor, and it (maintains ?) the skills of the labor, in addition, producing additional enriched uranium. So in my view, one should put a cap to this and not to wait. The problem doesn't become easier by waiting.