Iran’s uranium stockpile reached 551kg which is beyond the 300kg limit laid down in 2015 deal confirms UN agency. At an undeclared site in Iran, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog detected uranium particles.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirms the report, on Monday. The statement reads, “the agency has detected natural uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at a location in Iran not declared to the agency.”
It is speculated that the particles are the product of uranium which has been mined and undergone initial processing. However, they are yet to be enriched. Importantly, the IAEA mentioned that it was “essential for Iran to continue interactions with the agency to resolve the matter as soon as possible”.
The agency did not disclose the name of the site in question. Previously, diplomatic sources mentioned that the agency has been questioning Iran relating to a site where Israel has alleged secret atomic activity in the past.
According to the sources the IAEA took samples from the site in the Turquzabad district of Tehran in the spring. Interestingly, Iran slowed down the process of answering which explain the test results.
On Monday, a report also confirms that Iran has ramped up uranium enrichment. Iran’s stockpile capacity reached around 551kg. Importantly, the capacity is beyond the 300kg limit laid down in Iran’s 2015 deal with world powers.
The rate of production of enriched uranium had gone up substantially. The increased amount constitutes to more than 100kg a month, and could increase further, a Vienna-based diplomat said. A report confirms that Iran’s latest attempt of enriching uranium at its Fordow facility constitutes a breach of the 2015 deal. The report makes no mention of an incident involving one of the IAEA’s inspectors two weeks ago resulted in cancelling her accreditation. Interestingly, the inspector triggered a security check at the entrance gate to the Natanz enrichment plant said Iran.
