Enriched to 84 percent
High purity uranium discovered in Iran
02/20/2023 06:41 am
In Iran, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency are now discovering material with a purity of around 84 percent. According to the organization, it could be a mistake.
According to a media report, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have found uranium in Iran with a degree of purity that is just below the level needed to build a nuclear bomb. The uranium was enriched to 84 percent, reports the news agency Bloomberg citing two diplomatic sources.
Uranium enriched to around 90 percent is required to build atomic bombs. According to experts, the higher the degree of purity, the easier it becomes to further increase it. Comparatively few centrifuges are required for the step from 84 percent to 90 percent.
IAEA makes discovery on the subject
Inspectors would need to determine whether Iran produced the material intentionally or whether the concentration was the result of unintentional accumulation, Bloomberg said. The IAEA said on Twitter on Sunday that it was aware of the media report. The organization is holding talks with Iran about the “results of recent verification activities.”
A threshold of 3.67 percent for uranium enrichment was agreed in 2015 in the international nuclear agreement with Iran, which is currently on hold. It was recently known that Tehran is producing uranium enriched to 60 percent, which is considerably more than provided for in the nuclear agreement.
Negotiations have been stuck for months
Negotiations on reviving the international nuclear deal with Iran, which began in April 2021, have been stuck for months. The agreement was intended to limit Iran’s nuclear program and ensure that the country would not build nuclear weapons. It was negotiated by the USA, China, Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain and Iran.
However, under the then US President Donald Trump, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and imposed new sanctions on Tehran. As a result, Iran also gradually withdrew from its obligations and restricted the inspections of its facilities by the IAEA.