TEHRAN, Iran, Apr.17
Trend:
Iranian scientists have reached 60 percent uranium enrichment, said the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
"I have informed the Parliament speaker Mr. Ghalibaf of this great achievement, we have acted based on the parliament's strategic law," said Ali Akbar Salehi, Trend reports citing IRNA.
The start of 60 percent uranium enrichment has been ordered recently. The current product is about 9 grams per hour.
"Scientists are working on chains arrangement that would reduce the 60 percent production and would possibly reach to 5 and 6 gram but we would simultaneously produce 20 percent enrichment with these two chains. We would produce 60 percent and 20 percent with one simultaneous injection and would complete the optimizations in the coming days," Salehi added.
"There is no pollution in Natanz nuclear facility after the sabotage. The enrichment in Natanz has not stopped and continues with strength, there were problems in one of the halls but we have various halls and enrichment continues," he noted.
"The 60 percent enrichment is not produced for fuel and the target is to extract molybdenum in Tehran reactor and another function of the enrichment is producing radiopharmaceuticals, we can do it with 20 percent enrichment but when the enrichment increases the processes would improve and the volume of molybdenum would increase," the head of AEOI stressed.
The Strategic Act to Revoke Sanctions was approved by the parliament and the Guardian Council in response to the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. The aim of the law is to force the West to return to full compliance under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by a slew of measures, including putting a stop to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), increasing Iran’s enrichment of uranium, and revitalizing the Fordow plant.
In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year.
To preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed.
On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories that have not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal.
Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA on Sept.5.
On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. On Jan.2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA.
As reported, in late 2020, the Iranian parliament has decided to implement a strategic plan to tackle the sanctions, citing the non-implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of sanctions on Iran. According to the decision of the Iranian parliament, as of February 23, Iran suspended the implementation of additional steps and an additional protocol provided for in the nuclear deal.
The US imposed new sanctions on Iran in November 2018. Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals.