Page 8 - MEOG Week 47 2022

MEOG POLICY & SECURITY MEOG

Iran plans massive uranium

enrichment expansion warns IAEA

IRAN IRAN is planning a massive expansion of its recent months that Iran has sufficient 60%
uranium enrichment capacity, the International enriched uranium for reprocessing into fuel for
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Novem- at least one nuclear bomb.
ber 23. Iran has, however, always denied it has any
The UN nuclear watchdog issued the warning ambition to go beyond civilian nuclear activities.
as it confirmed that Iran has started enriching The Fordo move is viewed as part of Iran’s
uranium to 60% at a second plant. Tehran has response to the IAEA’s adoption last week of a
stepped up the enrichment programme amid the censure motion drafted by Western govern-
failure of Iran and the major powers to progress ments accusing Tehran of non-cooperation.
negotiations to the point that a reintroduction Germany, France and Britain – the three
of the 2015 nuclear deal, or JCPOA, would be western European countries that remain JCPOA
possible. signatories – condemned the expansion of
The JCPOA was designed to ensure Iran’s enrichment to 60%.
nuclear development programme remained “Iran’s step is a challenge to the global
entirely civilian in return for the lifting of major non-proliferation system,” they said in a joint
sanctions. However, the multilateral deal unrav- statement issued on November 22, adding: “This
elled from May 2018 when former US president step, which carries significant proliferation-re-
Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington lated risks, has no credible civilian justification.”
out of the agreement, choosing instead to pur- The IAEA continues to criticise Tehran for
sue an Iran policy much based on hitting the preventing its officials from accessing or mon-
Iranian economy with unprecedented waves of itoring Iranian nuclear sites. IAEA officials have
sanctions. not had full access to the nuclear sites for two
Iran said earlier on November 22 that it had years.
commenced enriching uranium to 60% at the In a further move that will hinder Tehran’s
Fordo site. The move comes on top of an enrich- relations with the West, Iranian state media on
ment-to-60% programme run at the country’s November 23 reported that a British-Iranian
above-ground pilot plant in Natanz for more citizen was arrested in Iran’s Isfahan province
than a year. for allegedly sharing information with for-
Enrichment to 60% purity is one highly eign-based news channels that the Iranian gov-
attainable technical step away from enrichment ernment accuses of supporting the nationwide
to weapons-grade 90% purity. Nuclear non-pro- unrest the country has experienced for more
liferation analysts have sounded warnings in than two months.™

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 47 23•November•2022