On Thursday the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released its confidential, quarterly report on Iran’s civilian nuclear program. Almost immediately, as often occurs, the report was leaked to myriad media outlets.
Nothing in the report was especially shocking but confirmed that Iran’s enrichment of uranium has continued. Absent any new deal, Iran is not meeting the myriad IAEA demands it offer “cooperation” far beyond that expected of any other nation.
The media coverage of the report centers on the fact that Iran’s stockpile of 60% enriched uranium, the highest level of enrichment Iran has attempted, has grown to 164.7 kilograms.
The 60% enriched uranium obtained so far is well below the level necessary for producing nuclear weapons, which is over 90%. It is noteworthy that enrichment to even 60% is higher than would be allowed under the JCPOA nuclear deal.
That’s not coincidental. After the US withdrew unilaterally from the JCPOA, Iran began making reversible “violations” in an attempt to compel the remaining parties to negotiate salvaging the deal without the US. Instead, the US has kept imposing new sanctions on Iran for violating a deal to which the US isn’t even a party.
The lack of diplomatic progress reflects the unwillingness of the three European members of the deal to hold new talks. This is complicated by last month’s election of a new Iranian president, reformist Masoud Pezeshkian.
Despite being spun in alarmist media reports as an escalation of Iran’s civilian program, the program has not changed fundamentally. The stockpile is simply growing because there’s nothing happening to convert uranium to power plant fuel, which was meant to be a key part of the JCPOA.
The IAEA report also confirmed that Iran had installed new cascades for uranium enrichment, something that has been previously reported, but confirmed that the cascades have not yet been activated.
Good for them!
https://www.indianpunchline.com/iran-nuclear-talks-will-be-in-new-format/
Masoud Pezeshkian does not make the decisions on uranium enrichment nor on the development of a nuclear arsenal. That is Ayatollah Khomenei who is still bound by the Fatwa on making nuclear weapons announced by himself in 2003.
And I admire him for that, but the only problem with that Fatwa is that Israel is not bound by it. Dude! Is it a bit funny to label the Iranians as Terrorists, while their sworn enemy threatens to destroy them with nuclear weapons everyday?
Ditto that NA…
Or Hamas. There is no such thing as terrorists if Israel isn't considered one of them. And if they ranked them, Israel would be at the top.
After us. People are ungrateful for all the work we do to $hit Moral Superiority on their face.
I heard that there are going to be new names inscribed on the bombs being dropped on Gaza: "joy", "compassion" and "peace".
Iran attempting to appeal to the Hegemon with logic is tantamount to beating a dead horse.
"7 countries in 5 years" as Per Gen. Wesley Clark who stated Iran is the last to be 'taken out'. Just behind schedule as '1984' coming true as well as 'helter skelter' as prophesied by Chas. Manson.
You can bet that this was a Zionist Leak since some of the IAEA inspectors follow the faith…!
Nothing but bullcrap…! The Rafael Grossi focus should be on the potential nuclear accidents at the Ukrainian and the Russian power plants… Not on Iran's Mumbo Jumbo…!
It's seldom mentioned that the IRI is a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaty AND to the Additional Protocols (the ASI is neither) and has the legal right to enrichment for power generation AND isotope production for its domestic medical needs (imaging AND cancer treatment).
We may recall that Western actions in the time of the JCPOA haggling prevented the IRI from producing isotopes (the Russian Federation was allowed to backstop its needs) and that had a DIRECT impact on civilian medical treatments.
60 % enrichment is not needed for a nuclear power reactor. 5 % will do. And isotope production is now done with 20% enrichment.
Some of the major reasons Iran is enriching at 60% is because of:
a) Trump ended JCPOA (the Nuclear Deal) in 2018…! though the idiots in EU still expect to see Iran's compliance with the deal without them lifting EU sanctions on Iran…!
b) Israeli attacks on IRI nuclear facilities with no condemnation from the west…! and last but not least…
c) Israel assassination of IRI nuclear scientists with no condemnation from west…!
But… IAEA never mentions any of the above…! And when Iran or any other country complains about Israel's nuclear arsenal, IAEA responds, "it's none of their business" since they are not member of NPT…!
"The 60% enriched uranium obtained so far is well below the level necessary for producing nuclear weapons" That is not a fact. A bomb can be made with 60% U-235. It not effective as its yield for pound of weight of the weapon is very high compared to 90%. But in can be build.
The problem is that going from 60% to 90% is easy as compared to going from 0.7 % in natural uranium to 60%. It looks like Iran is setting up to be able assemble bombs quickly.
Some sourcing might further emphasize your points.
If iran gets nukes we're screwed
Who is the “we”?