According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, this Tuesday (22), amid a political crisis, after two months of demonstrations and increasingly harsh repression, especially in Kurdistan, Tehran decided to step up its nuclear program (22). For the first time, the country started to enrich the product by 60% at the Fordo factory. The decision is in response to the latest decision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which condemns Iran and calls for greater cooperation.
Iran increased the uranium enrichment level at the Fordo nuclear power plant from 20% to 60%. The index exceeds the 3.67% rate set by the international agreement on its nuclear program signed in 2015.
The underground facilities of the power plant, located in a mountainous region 180 kilometers south of Tehran, cannot be destroyed by bombing.
Iran is currently enriching 60% of uranium at the country’s main plant, Natanz, and other factories.
On Sunday, the country announced that it was taking retaliatory measures against the IAEA, following a decision by the agency criticizing Tehran’s failure to cooperate. The text was submitted by the United States and three European countries: the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
new centrifuges
In addition, two new centrifuges IR-2 and IR-4 will be operational in Natanz in a few days. According to Isna, older Fordo and Natanz centrifuges will gradually be replaced by more modern and faster ones.
According to the IAEA chief, Iran has enough enriched uranium to produce several bombs. As enrichment accelerates, the country’s capacity will increase even more.
The agreement signed between Iran and Western countries in 2015 aims to prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons. But after the US withdrew from the deal in 2018 and the re-establishment of US sanctions on Iran’s economy, Tehran has gradually refrained from fulfilling its obligations.
In April 2021, the Iranian government announced that it had started producing 60% enriched uranium at Natanz, approaching the 90% required to produce an atomic bomb.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.