Agency: Iran Has Stockpiled More Than 17 Kilograms of 20 Percent Enriched Uranium
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s nuclear activities contain matters that are very concerning. The IAEA Director General has compared the new agreement with Iran to a black box that holds the necessary information.
The International Atomic Energy Agency in its latest report on Iran’s nuclear activities, released on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, stated that there are matters in these activities that have deeply concerned experts. Iran’s stockpile of illegally enriched uranium has increased to more than three tons according to the report. The report states that this stockpile has increased by an additional 500 kilograms compared to November. This uranium also includes more than 17 kilograms (17.6) of 20 percent enriched uranium.
Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran is permitted to stockpile a maximum of 200 kilograms of uranium with low enrichment.
The Agency has also expressed deep concern in its report that Iran has provided no explanation regarding the origin of uranium particles found at two sites that were inspected by this body last year. This information could shed light on the scope of Iran’s nuclear activities. Regarding a third site where uranium particles were found, the Islamic Republic has also provided no explanation to the Agency.
Two and a half months ago, the Islamic Consultative Assembly approved the law “Strategic Action to Counter Sanctions” and obliged the Rouhani government to implement it. This includes that the government must “immediately take the necessary measures to produce uranium enriched to 20 percent purity and maintain an annual stockpile of 120 kilograms of it.”
Black Box of Iran’s Nuclear Activities
During a two-day visit by Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to Iran, negotiations took place between him and Iranian government officials based on which technical inspections for verification will continue for three more months and the number of inspectors will not decrease, but access to nuclear sites will be more limited than before. Grossi told reporters at the end of this visit: “To be frank, access will be less, but we have maintained the level of oversight necessary for verification.”
Both sides have also agreed that surprise inspections will continue. According to Grossi, this agreement is “technical” and “temporary.” The details of this agreement are confidential, but Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, described the system of this agreement in a speech at the Nuclear Threat Initiative research institute as similar to a black box in which data, even regarding Iran’s most sensitive activities such as uranium enrichment, is collected.
According to Grossi, this is a system that enables the Agency to continue monitoring and recording all of Iran’s key nuclear activities that take place during this period, so that the Agency can retrieve all this information at the end of it. Rafael Grossi said about this: “In other words, we will know exactly what happened, exactly how many pieces were made, exactly how much material was processed, or refined, or enriched, and so on and so forth.”
He alluded to concerns raised by some parties: “Some say that in the end, if Iran wants to (and such an agreement is not reached), it can delete this information. Yes, but if at the end of that agreement no agreement is reached, everything is lost.”
Grossi emphasized the importance of his agreement with the Iranian government, saying that if this agreement had not taken place: “The situation would not have been reversible or retrievable.” He said that then “we would actually have been flying blind, without any idea of what is happening regarding uranium enrichment activities and other Iranian nuclear activities.”
Grossi has said he hopes that while this technical agreement between Iran and the Agency is in place, negotiations between Iran, the United States, and the European Union over a nuclear agreement will take place at a higher level.
Source: DW
