Iran cuts nuke commitments

Teheran begins feeding gas into centrifuges, breaching nuclear deal

TEHERAN: Iran’s president announced that Teheran will begin injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges, the latest step away from its nuclear deal with world powers since President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord over a year ago.

The development is significant as the centrifuges previously spun empty, without gas injection, under the landmark 2015 nuclear accord.

It also increases pressure on European nations that remain in the accord, which at this point has all but collapsed.

In his announcement yesterday, President Hassan Rouhani did not say whether the centrifuges, which are at its nuclear facility in Fordo, would be used to produce enriched uranium.

The centrifuges would be injected with the uranium gas as of today, Rouhani said.

His remarks, carried live on Iranian state television, came a day after Teheran’s nuclear programme chief said the country had doubled the number of advanced IR-6 centrifuges in operation.

There was no immediate reaction from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog now monitoring Iran’s compliance with the deal. The European Union on Monday called on Iran to return to the deal, while the White House sanctioned members of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s inner circle as part of its maximalist campaign against Teheran.

Rouhani stressed the steps taken so far, including going beyond the deal’s enrichment and stockpile limitations, could be reversed if Europe offers a way for it to avoid US sanctions choking off its crude oil sales abroad.

“We should be able to sell our oil,” Rouhani said.

“We should be able to bring our money into the country.”

The centrifuges at Fordo are IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge.

The nuclear deal allowed those at Fordo to spin without uranium gas, while allowing up to 5,060 at its Natanz facility to enrich uranium.

A centrifuge enriches uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. An IR-6 centrifuge can produce enriched uranium 10 times faster than an IR-1, Iranian officials say.

Iranian scientists also are working on a prototype called the IR-9, which works 50-times faster than the IR-1, Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akhbar Salehi said on Monday.

As of now, Iran is enriching uranium up to 4.5%, in violation of the accord’s limit of 3.67%.

Enriched uranium at the 3.67% level is enough for peaceful pursuits but is far below weapons-grade levels of 90%.

At the 4.5% level, it is enough to help power Iran’s Bushehr reactor, the country’s only nuclear power plant.

Prior to the atomic deal, Iran only reached up to 20%.

We should be able to sell our oil. We should be able to bring our money into the country. Hassan Rouhani