Iran poised to resume enrichment at deep Fordow facility

 

After Iran warned it will leave the nuclear accord unless benefits are forthcoming, an atomic energy official in Tehran said that uranium enrichment would resume at Fordow – if that happens.

Iran to increase uranium enrichment. US-Israeli strike on nuclear facilities comes closer

 

Iran is to inform the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna on Tuesday, June 6, of its decision to increase uranium (UF6) enrichment capacity in response to the US exit from the 2015 nuclear accord. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, announcing this, did not mention a date for this process to begin or the grade of enrichment. Supreme ruler Ayatollah Khamenei’s said Monday night: “I have ordered Iran’s atomic energy agency to be prepared to upgrade our (uranium) enrichment capacity” if the 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers falls apart after the US withdrawal. Chairman Ali Akhbar Salehi of the atomic organization forecast this development some days ago.

Iran Threatens To Restart Nuclear Enrichment Program

 

Iran is threatening to restart its controversial nuclear enrichment program, as the head of the Islamic Republic’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) revealed on Sunday that they have maintained the ability to quickly restart the full-scale enrichment of uranium “within 4 days,” reports FARS news.

“If senior Islamic Republic officials issue an order to resume the 20 percent enrichment, we can do it in Fordo within 4 days,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the AEOI – referring to the Fordo nuclear facility in northern Iran. Of note – 20 percent enrichment is considered above the required level for nuclear energy production, however it is still well below the 80-90 percent required for a nuclear weapon.

Iran & Russia Agree on Joint Production of Nuclear Fuel

Photo: RIA Novosti / A. Solomonov

 

The Iranian and Russian authorities have agreed on joint production of nuclear fuel, the ISNA news agency reported, citing Vice President of the republic and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi.

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He also noted Teheran managed to agree on consultations with the Russian side. “Thus, after the long and intensive negotiations, which have been lasting more than two years, our understanding resulted in a roadmap,” the head of the AEOI said, keeping in mind the visit of his deputy Behrouz Kamalvandi to Moscow in late January.

Iran to begin gas injection into new, advanced centrifuges

Illustrative image of centrifuges enriching uranium (photo credit: US Department of Energy/Wikimedia Commons)

 

Tehran insists move permitted under 2015 nuclear deal which allows R&D on IR-8s, capable of enriching uranium 20 times faster than previous machines

Iran’s nuclear energy agency indicated Tuesday that Tehran would soon begin injecting gas into the latest generation of advanced centrifuges, IR-8, in a move that marks the next step to make them operational and that Iran says is permitted under the terms of the nuclear deal signed last year with six world powers.

“The IR8 tests have come to an end and they will go into the stage of gas injection in the next few weeks,” a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, announced at a press conference on Tuesday, according to the semi-official Fars new agency.

U.S. to help Iran rebuild nuclear reactor

The United States will provide “advanced equipment” that will enable Iran to rebuild its nuclear reactor at Arak.

According to the U.S. State Department, it will work with Iran to modernize the reactor, but the process will take away Arak’s ability to produce weapons grade material.

Iran Threatened ‘Harm’ to Top Nuke Inspector to Prevent Disclosure of Secret Deal

Iran: ‘He himself would have been harmed’

Iranian leaders prevented a top International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) official from disclosing to U.S. officials the nature of secret side deals with the Islamic Republic by threatening harm to him, according to regional reports.

Yukiya Amano, IAEA director general, purportedly remained silent about the nature of certain side deals during briefings with top U.S. officials because he feared such disclosures would lead to retaliation by Iran, according to the spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI).

Iran Nuke Reactor Hits Capacity

Iran’s Russian-built nuclear power plant in Bushehr hit capacity on Tuesday and was hooked into the country’s national power grid, according to Iranian officials.

Iran refuses to allow inspection of Parchin nuclear site

NICOSIA — Iran, despite its agreement with the West, continues to deny international inspectors access to a key nuclear military site.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization has rejected appeals by NATO states for the inspection of the Parchin military site southeast of Teheran.