Iran boosting nuclear capability

Move to enrich uranium to 60pc condemned

Iran has begun producing enriched uranium at 60 per cent purity at the country’s underground Fordo nuclear plant, official media reported yesterday, describing it as a response to a resolution by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.

The increased enrichment, reported by the official news agency IRNA, was seen as a significant addition to the country’s nuclear programme.

From Vienna, the UN International Atomic Energy Agency said the 60 per cent enrichment at Fordo comes on top of similar production at the Natanz plant in central Iran.

The IAEA also said that Iran plans a “significant expansion” in its production of low-enriched uranium at Fordo and a second production building at Natanz. Fordo is some 100km south of the capital of Tehran.

Enrichment to 60 per cent purity is one short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent . Nonproliferation experts have warned in recent months that Iran now has enough 60 per cent -enriched uranium to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb.

Later yesterday, a joint statement from Germany, France and Britain — the three Western European countries that remain in the Iran nuclear deal — condemned Iran’s latest action to further expand its nuclear programme.

“Iran’s step is a challenge to the global non-proliferation system. This step, which carries significant proliferation-related risks, has no credible civilian justification. We will continue to consult, alongside international partners, on how best to address Iran’s continued nuclear escalation,” the statement added.

The change comes as the regime in Tehran is facing nationwide antigovernment protests and is also aiding Russia with drones in the Ukraine war.

On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said his country was taking the steps in reaction to a resolution adopted last week by the IAEA. The resolution, approved by the IAEA’s board of governors, called for Iran’s cooperation with a probe by the agency into man-made uranium particles found at three undeclared sites in the country.

The joint statement by Germany, France and Britain said that Iran’s claims that its latest actions are a reaction to that resolution were “unacceptable”.

This month, the IAEA said it believes that Iran has further increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

As recently as last week, the agency criticised Tehran for continuing to bar the agency’s officials from accessing or nuclear sites.

It has been nearly two years since IAEA officials have had full access to monitor Iran’s nuclear sites, and five months since the surveillance equipment was removed.

Efforts to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which eased sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, have stalled. The United States unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018. It reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to start backing away from the deal’s terms.

The Natanz facility has thousands of centrifuge machines. Iran began 60 per cent enrichment there in 2019. Natanz was target of sabotage in 2021 with Israel the prime suspect. monitoring

Iranian