The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed today that Iran enriched uranium to 83.7 percent at the Fordow fuel plant in January, well above the agreed 60 percent and to levels just below those needed to make a nuclear weapon.
“Iran informed the UN agency that unwanted fluctuations in enrichment levels may have occurred. Discussions to clarify the matter are ongoing.”indicated a report from the UN nuclear agency, collected this Tuesday by the AFP news agency
Enriched uranium, which is just below the percentage needed to produce an atomic bomb, was detected during an inspection at the plant.
The body’s spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi, indicated last week that the existence of these particles is common during the uranium enrichment process and stressed that “it is the end product that matters and Iran has never embarked on enrichment to a level higher than 60 percent”quoted the Europa Press news agency.
This comes at a time when Iran is increasingly estranged from the Western community and talks for its return to the 2015 nuclear deal – from which the United States withdrew in 2018 – remain stalled.
On the 6th of this month, the Government of Iran stated the existence of “diplomatic dynamism” in the talks to try to reactivate the 2015 nuclear agreement.
The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Naser Kanani, had said on that occasion that “messages are being exchanged at various levels.”
And along the same lines, he stated that Iran and the IAEA had maintained “regular” cooperation in recent months.
Howeverthe chief director of the UN body, the Argentine Rafael Grossi, had previously reported that Iran would have secretly modified a facility for the production of highly enriched uranium, which violates the obligation to inform the IAEA.
In response, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behruz Kamalvandi, replied that the international body’s report is based on a “mistake” made by an IAEA inspector.
The pact agreed between Iran and the great powers in 2015 set the maximum level of uranium enrichment at 3.6%. Iran in exchange for a lifting of sanctions against Tehran for its nuclear activities.
However, after the administration of US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reinstated sanctions against Iran, Tehran began to progressively disassociate itself from its obligations.
In April 2021, Iran had announced that it began producing 60% enriched uranium at the Natanz plant.in the center of the country, approaching the level of 90% necessary to make an atomic bomb.
After Democratic President Joe Biden came to power in the United States, Iran and the six signatory powers of the agreement, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and the United States, began negotiations in 2021 to try to restore the pact.
The talks were resumed last August after a hiatus of several months, but there have still been no concrete results.