In the aftermath of P5+1 talks that ended without progress but left Iran feeling upbeat, the head of the country’s Atomic Energy Organisation told Iranian media yesterday that Tehran will produce 3,000 advanced centrifuges for installation in its Natanz enrichment facility:

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoon Abbasi announced that the country will soon start manufacturing 3,000 new uranium enrichment centrifuges. Addressing a ceremony here in Tehran on Sunday, Abbasi noted imminent production of 3,000 new generation centrifuges in the country, and said, “The final production line of these centrifuges has finished.

A recent IAEA report confirmed that at least some of the so-called IR-2m centrifuges were being installed in Natanz, but Abbasi’s statements were the first time that a specific number had been announced.

The new generation of centrifuges allows Iran to enrich uranium to nuclear weapons grade at a much faster clip, badly eroding a core argument in favor of engagement. Advocates of ongoing negotiations have consistently argued that the West can afford to let Iran stall for time because Western intelligence agencies would always be able to detect – and Western militaries would be able to intercept – any Iranian attempt to rush across the nuclear finish line. The advanced IR-2m centrifuges dramatically shorten the window that the West would have to either detect their moves and act to stop it.

The United States has referred to a previous round of IR-2m installations and utilization as a provocation. Nonetheless the P5+1 last week offered Iran what many regard as sweeping concessions – celebrated by the regime as “softer” and “smarter” – which despite their forward leaning nature were then duly rejected by Iranian negotiators. The talks’ failure prompted Israeli officials to add their voices to those of U.S., E.U., and U.N. diplomats in expressing concern that Iran is using negotiations to stall for time.

The failure of these latest talks comes as the Supreme Leader himself forcefully rejected the offer of direct talks made most recently by Vice President Joe Biden at the Munich Security conference last month.

Meanwhile Iran announced the discovery of significant new uranium deposits and outlined plans to build an additional 16 nuclear power plants: