Iran has begun enriching uranium to 60% at the Fordow nuclear facility and plans to further expand its nuclear capacity. This could pave the way for the country to develop nuclear weapons.
This is reported by Reuters.
Earlier this week, the 35-nation International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Council passed a resolution requiring Iran to cooperate with the agency in investigating traces of uranium found at three undeclared sites.
According to the IAEA, the Iranians plan to add 14 more IR-6 cascades to Ford, six of which will replace the first-generation IR-1 machines. In the long term, Iran is planning a major expansion of the underground fuel enrichment plant at Natang.
"Iran continues to develop its operations at the Natang fuel enrichment plant and now plans to install a second production building capable of housing more than 100 centrifuge cascades," the IAEA noted.
Great Britain, France and Germany condemned Iranʼs nuclear plans on November 22.
"Iranʼs move is a challenge to the global non-proliferation system. This move, which carries significant proliferation risks, has no solid civilian justification. We will continue to consult with international partners on how best to address Iranʼs nuclear escalation," says in a joint statement of the three countries.
- On the night of April 11, 2021, an accident occurred at an underground factory in the city of Natanzi in Iran. The light suddenly went out at the nuclear facility where uranium is enriched. Iran announced a terrorist attack, and the media reported that the plant was attacked by hackers on behalf of the Israeli Mossad. Israel has not officially confirmed or denied its involvement.
- On April 10, the plant launched new 164 IR-6 and 30 IR-5 centrifuges, which can enrich uranium faster. The launch was watched by President Hassan Rouhani. He repeatedly stated that Iranʼs nuclear program has an exclusively peaceful purpose and is not aimed at creating weapons.
- It was later revealed that the accident disabled more than a thousand centrifuges for enriching and purifying uranium, and also destroyed the ground power system. Iran blamed Israel for the accident.