Iran has increased its production of near-weapons-grade uranium, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday, a day after Tehran issued an ominous threat to Israel.
The Persian Gulf nation has tripled its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing what had been a long slowdown in enrichment that began last summer, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
It is now enriching uranium to 60% purity at a rate of 9 kilograms (about 20 pounds) per month at its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, the IAEA said.
This is up from a rate of about 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds) a month during the slowdown.
Uranium enriched to 60% purity is only a small technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
“The Agency confirms that, since late November 2023, the rate at which Iran has been producing uranium enriched up to 60% U-235 at these two facilities combined has increased to approximately 9 kg per month,” the IAEA said in a statement summarizing a confidential report seen by Reuters.
Iran already has enough uranium enriched to 60% purity to build three nuclear bombs, according to the IAEA.
Iran, led by President Ebrahim Raisi, has increased its rate of uranium enrichment after a long slowdown. Via REUTERS
The watchdog’s report came just a day after Iran said Israel would “pay the price” for an airstrike in Syria that killed a top commander.
Diplomats believe Iran had initially slowed the enrichment process starting in June because its representatives were secretly talking to the United States, negotiations that led to the release of American citizens held by Iran earlier this year.
According to the IAEA definition, about 42 kilograms of enriched uranium are enough to make a nuclear bomb.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, led by Rafael Grossi (above), reported that production increased just after Thanksgiving. REUTERS
Watchdog inspectors first noticed the processing change at both facilities just after Thanksgiving, according to the report.
The production increases come at a precarious time in the Middle East, which descended into conflict after Hamas’s monstrous attack on Israel on October 7.
Fears that the conflict could spread to other parts of the region were exacerbated earlier this week when an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed a top Iranian commander, prompting Iran to shake its saber and warn that Israel “will pay.” the price”.
Centrifuge machines at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. AP The increase in enrichment comes at a dangerous time for the Middle East, considering the war between Israel and Hamas that left tens of thousands dead. AFP via Getty Images
“This act is a sign of the frustration and weakness of the Zionist regime in the region, for which it will undoubtedly pay the price,” Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi said, according to a Reuters translation.
Iran has long been accused of supporting the Palestinian terrorist organization and other US-designated terrorist groups in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn