Uranium particles enriched to 83.7% found in Iran: UN report

 

Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7% in the Islamic Republic of Iran's underground Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.

The IAEA report claimed that inspectors discovered on January 21 that two cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at the Fordow nuclear facility had been configured in a way “substantially different” to what had been previously declared. The IAEA found particles up to 83.7% purity.

The IAEA report said, “Iran informed the agency that ‘unintended fluctuations’ in enrichment levels may have occurred during the transition period.”

Reportedly, Massimo Aparo, a top IAEA official, also visited the country to check “the alleged enrichment rate” at the nuclear site.

The recent IAEA report put Iran's uranium stockpile at some 3,760 kilograms (8,289 pounds) as of February 12 2023. IAEA expressed concern on this matter.

Tensions grew between Iran and IAEA over the changes at the Fordow nuclear plant. The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, also expressed concern over the recent unilateral changes at the Fordow nuclear plant.

The global nuclear watchdog highlighted the importance of the safeguard agreement required by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, always dismissed the nuclear watchdog report. However, experts have warned that 60% enriched uranium is enough to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb.

Last year in November, Iran’s Fordow plant saw an increase in the enrichment of uranium to 60 per cent. Iran also turned off the UN agency inspection cameras at the Fordow nuclear site.

Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal or JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) limited Iran’s uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms and enrichment to 3.67 per cent. However, the US withdrawal from the deal in 2018 led to escalations by Iran over its program.