Iranian authorities defended Wednesday that their decision to begin enriching uranium to 60 percent at Fordo is in line with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rules and regulations, a move announced after the agency passed a critical resolution against Tehran for not cooperating with an investigation into traces of uranium found at at least three of its facilities.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohamad Eslami, has stressed that the measures are part of the law passed by the Iranian Parliament with a Strategic Action Plan to achieve the removal of sanctions against the country, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported.
Eslami has detailed that the enrichment capacity at the subway facilities in Fordo has increased from 20 to 60 percent, using existing capacities, and added that gas injection into new strings at the Natanz nuclear power plant has begun, as confirmed by AEOI on Tuesday.
He has also stressed that «political pressure and passing resolutions against Iran is not the solution.» «Problems cannot be solved by inciting accusations,» he has criticized, before calling on the IAEA to «address the issues in a professional manner and in line with the 2015 agreement,» referring to the landmark nuclear deal signed that year.
Finally, he again criticized the United States for unilaterally abandoning the pact in 2018 and «breaking all its obligations to it» and added that «not only did the United States fail to fulfill its commitments, but it has not allowed other signatories, such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany, to do so».
The AEOI said on Tuesday that for the first time work had begun on the production of uranium hexafluoride at 60 percent enrichment and recalled that it is already enriching uranium to this level at the Natanz plant, where it has injected gas into two new advanced centrifuge lines. He also said that the authorities had begun the passivation of two other chains with a view to injecting gas into them in the next few days, as well as the start of work on the installation of a B1000 unit with a capacity for eight new cascades.
The text approved by the international body, proposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, was supported by 26 of the 35 members of the IAEA Board of Governors. China and Russia opposed the measure, while at least five countries abstained, amid tensions over the lack of agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear pact, damaged by the U.S. decision to withdraw unilaterally in 2018 and by Tehran’s response measures, which has abandoned part of its commitments.
In fact, Iranian authorities have confirmed that they have more than 200 kilograms of enriched uranium above the levels set in the 2015 agreement, which envisages that Iran can only enrich to four percent. Tehran has assured over the last few months that it could enrich uranium to 90 percent, necessary for nuclear weapons.
