According to “this _AP_ story,”:http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Nuclear-Iran.html

bq. Iran has started enriching small amounts of uranium gas at its underground nuclear plant and is running *more than 1,300 of the centrifuges* used in the process.

The report cites an 18 April letter to Iranian officials from IAEA DDG Olli Heinonen which says that “Iran has provided information to the agency that it has put into operation *1,312 centrifuges.”*

I can’t provide details, but the 1312 number is consistent with some information that I received a couple of weeks ago.

In addition,

bq. the letter also cites Iranian information to the agency that *”some UF6 is being fed’*’ into the centrifuges at the underground Natanz facility, referring to the uranium gas that can be enriched to levels potent enough to be used for nuclear arms.

I must point out that the story wrongly says that “Last week, Iran said it had begun operating 3,000 centrifuges at Natanz.”

“Bzzzzt.”:http://www.totalwonkerr.net/1403/iran-still-does-not-have-3000-centrifuges

*Update:*

“Reuters”:http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1870149120070418?feedType=RSS and “AFP”:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070418/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpolitics_070418182439;_ylt=AinlHTfubaXBPE5tcrqcLfZSw60A have the story too. According to Heinonen’s letter, IAEA inspectors found that Iran has 8 cascades running.

*Later Update:*

ISIS has a “copy”:http://www.isis-online.org/publications/iran/IAEAreport18April2007.pdf of the letter.