Iran has started installing new equipment for the faster enrichment of uranium at its plant in Natanz in the centre of the country, according to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation.

The development comes as Iran prepares to renew talks over its controversial nuclear programme when its representatives meet world powers in Kazakhstan on 26 February.

The Islamic Republic informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in January that it planned to use a new centrifuge called IR2m, which can enrich significantly faster than existing equipment, according to reports.