...

Iran to convert 1.5 tonnes of 2 percent enriched uranium to oxide power

Iran Materials 25 July 2014 15:27 (UTC +04:00)
Iran has 1.5 tonnes of under 2 percent enriched uranium which it will convert to oxide powder according to the latest agreement with P5+1, head of the country’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi announced.
Iran to convert 1.5 tonnes of 2 percent enriched uranium to oxide power

Baku, Azerbaijan, July 25

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran has 1.5 tonnes of under 2 percent enriched uranium which it will convert to oxide powder according to the latest agreement with P5+1, head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi announced.

Commenting on details of the Iran-P5+1's 18 July agreement, Salehi said that the country has agreed to convert its 0.8 to 1.8 percent enriched uranium- waste product from enrichment - to oxide powder, Iran's ISNA news agency reported on July 25.

He went on to add that the mentioned storage is mainly less than 1 percent enriched uranium.

The official also emphasized that he will not unveil more details on the issue.

Iran and the P5+1(five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) agreed to extend their nuclear negotiations for another four months until November 24 after failing to meet the July 20 deadline to reach a deal on curbing the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for ending sanctions.

Under the extension agreement the U.S. will give Tehran access over the next four months to an additional $2.8 billion in oil export revenues frozen abroad by the U.S. sanctions in four stages of $500 million and two stages of $400 million.

In return, Iran besides diluting the mentioned stock of 2 percent enriched uranium will convert a quarter of its stockpile of 20 percent-enriched uranium oxide, 25 kilograms, into fuel plates, which would make it almost impossible to convert it back into gas that could be further enriched to weapons grade.

The two sides sealed an interim deal in Geneva, on November 23, 2013, for a six-month period. The deal, which took effect on January 20, expired on July 20.

Under the deal, dubbed the Geneva Joint Plan of Action, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.

The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical research instead.

Tags:
Latest

Latest