Iran continues to advance its uranium enrichment, according to a report. The West is concerned and urges Tehran to honor its security commitments.
Germany, France, the UK and the US have asked Tehran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after a factory in Iran was secretly converted to produce highly enriched uranium.
In a statement released late Friday evening by the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, the countries demanded that Iran comply with its legally binding international obligations.
Opinion: Conversion cannot be justified by civilian use
It was stated that Iran’s production of highly enriched uranium at the Fordow plant carries significant risks and cannot be justified by any civilian interest.
According to the IAEA, Iran had secretly converted a factory to produce highly enriched uranium. Rafael Grossi, head of authorities in Vienna on Wednesday, said Tehran had violated its obligation to inform about such steps.
nuclear grade uranium
The facility has been producing uranium with up to 60 percent purity since the end of 2022. Grossi has pointed out in the past that Iran is approaching 90 percent enrichment for nuclear weapons. Iranian politicians have been saying for years that they do not want to build nuclear weapons.
As Grossi reports, IAEA inspectors discovered during an unannounced inspection at the Fordow facility that the enrichment machinery had been “significantly” replaced since November.
The IAEA did not say whether and how this increased production capacity.
Iran rejects criticism
“The IAEA inspector’s comment was wrong, but he reported it to the agency … We made a statement to the IAEA the same day,” Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Thursday.
Grossi told the European Parliament last week that Iran has enough uranium for several nuclear weapons if the material is further enriched. But Tehran still has a long way to go, with technical and political hurdles to produce such weapons.
Negotiations to re-establish the nuclear pact are dead
In 2015, Iran promised to limit its nuclear program. In response, Western sanctions against the Islamic Republic were lifted.
After the US withdrew from that deal under President Donald Trump, Tehran gradually reversed restrictions. Negotiations to re-establish the nuclear deal, which includes Germany, have been on hold for months.
Source: ZDF
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