Page 11 - MEOG Week 41 2021

MEOG NEWS IN BRIEF MEOG

Iran says it needs uranium include indirect negotiations with the US
POLICY reviving the JCPOA with world powers that
Iraq negotiating to make radioisotopes Biden administration, which wants to reverse
Trump’s abandonment of the deal if the right
improvement of West Iran has built up a stockpile of more than path to do that can be found.
120 kilograms of 20%-enriched uranium,
On October 10, German Chancellor
Qurna-2 contract Mohammad Eslami, head of the country’s Angela Merkel said the coming weeks would
atomic energy organisation said on October
be decisive for the future of the JCPOA,
Iraq hopes Lukoil will keep its stake in the 10. adding that every day that passes without
West Qurna-2 project, Oil Minister Ihsan Tehran argues that it needs the fuel for the Tehran responding to US overtures would
Abdul Jabbar told reporters on the sidelines Tehran reactor—originally supplied to Iran by result in Iran enriching more uranium.
of the Russian Energy Week, adding that the US in the 1960s—to make radioisotopes Speaking during a visit to Israel, the
the country is negotiating improvement of for use in medical treatments and agriculture, outgoing chancellor said Russian President
economic conditions of the project, Trend but under the 2015 nuclear deal, or JCPOA, Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi
reports with reference to TASS . Iran was not meant to enrich uranium above Jinping also had a responsibility to help to
“We are negotiating improvement of 3.67%. The level needed for use in an atomic push Iran back to the negotiating table.
conditions of the project now. We hope they bomb is 90%. BNE
will keep the stake in West Qurna-2,” he said “We have passed 120 kilograms,” Eslami
when asked how the negotiations on sale of said. “We have more than that figure. Our
part of Lukoil’s share in the project are going. people know well that [western powers] were COMPANIES
The Russian oil major Lukoil is involved meant to give us the enriched fuel at 20% to
in the development of West Qurna-2 field, use in the Tehran reactor, but they haven’t Homes built for KOC
one of the world’s largest fields located in done so.
the southern part of Iraq, 65 km north-west “If our colleagues do not do it, we would employees
of Basra. Its initial recoverable reserves are naturally have problems with the lack of fuel
estimated at 14bn barrels. Lukoil signed a for the Tehran reactor.” Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has completed
services contract for the development and In September, the UN’s International the construction of 159 new homes in
production at West Qurna-2 in 2010. Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that Ahmadi City as part of the company’s efforts
CEO of Lukoil Vagit Alekperov told Iran had 84.3kg of uranium enriched to 20%, to provide adequate and modern housing for
reporters this summer that the company up from 62.8kg in May. the company’s employees, reports Al-Anba
had discussed a partial sale of its stake in Under the JCPOA, China, France, daily.
the West Qurna-2 project with the Iraqi Germany, the UK and the US consented The construction of these houses in South
authorities, adding that it saw a huge interest to removing major sanctions against Iran Ahmadi was completed according to three
in the project. However, the Iraqi Oil Ministry if Tehran verifiably restricted its nuclear modern and sophisticated models. However,
insisted on Lukoil’s keeping its participation development programme. But ex-US the heritage of the city on which it was built in
in the project. Consequently, the company president Donald Trump pulled Washington the past was preserved.
continued negotiations on improvement out of the deal in 2018, even though Tehran According to an official source from KOC,
of economic conditions at West Qurna-2, was in full compliance with it. In response, the the task of developing Ahmadi City is not
particularly on the Yamama accumulation, Iranians have gradually abandoned JCPOA easy. While preserving the heritage of the city
Alekperov said. commitments. on which it was originally built, it is required
TREND On October 8, the Iranian foreign minister, to develop it using the latest technology in
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, reiterated that the world in order to join the list of modern
Iran would “soon” return to talks aimed at integrated smart cities.

Week 41 13•October•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P11