Middle East Madness > Iran's uranium enrichment hits high gear in spite of IAEA

 

Iran orders new advanced nuclear centrifuges

to be brought on stream after IAEA censure

By Paul Godfrey

Iran's uranium fuel enrichment plant in Natanz, in central Iran. A censure from the U.N. nuclear watchdog over "undeclared nuclear activities" that Tehran slammed as unfair and futile prompted it to order the activation of what it said were advanced new uranium enrichment centrifuges. File photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE

Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Iran said Friday it had begun commissioning new advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges after it was censured by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Atomic Energy Agency of Iran said in a statement reported by the state-run IRNA news agency that the resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency was "politically motivated, unrealistic and counterproductive."

The agency added it had "ordered effective steps, including the launch of a noticeable number of new and advanced centrifuges of different types," after Britain, Germany and France accused Tehran of not cooperating with the U.N. watchdog's monitoring regime.

"The steps are being taken to protect the country's interests and further develop the peaceful nuclear energy in line with growing national needs [for electricity] and within the framework of Iran's rights and obligations under the Safeguards Agreement," the AEOI statement said.

However, the agency stressed it would continue to work with the IAEA on existing technical and safeguards cooperation agreements and said it was "well prepared for constructive engagement" based on international legal principles and standards.

Britain, Germany and France, dubbed the E3, told an IAEA meeting in Vienna on Thursday that the findings of Director General Rafael Grossi's latest visit to Iran were "highly concerning," citing an expansion of its uranium stockpiles of as much as 60% and well over four "IAEA significant quantities" of uranium enriched up to 60%, defined as the approximate level of nuclear material over which the manufacturing of a nuclear bomb could not be ruled out.

Grossi's report found Iran's enriched uranium stockpile had further expanded over the current reporting period, with its overall stockpile of enriched uranium now over 32 times the limit Iran committed to in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal it signed with the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France.

"Over the past five months, Iran has also substantially expanded its overall production capacity by installing and operating new advanced centrifuges; in the reporting period, it has installed six additional cascades of advanced centrifuges at Fuel Enrichment Plant in Natanz, thus further enhancing its enrichment capacity," said the E3.

"Iran continues obstructing the work of the IAEA, which has had detrimental implications for the Agency's ability to effectively verify and monitor Iran's nuclear program and to provide assurance of the program's exclusively peaceful nature.

Is it time to move that mountain?

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The E3 added that the lack of transparency