Vienna: Iran Starting a new workshop in natanzo which will make parts for uranium-enriched centrifuges in which the machines have now stopped Karaju facility, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Thursday in a report seen by Reuters.
The new workshop raises questions about Iran’s plans to build advanced centrifuges – machines that produce enriched uranium much faster than first-generation machines, which were used for that purpose in 2015 with major powers. was banned to do.
It is now being enriched by hundreds of advanced centrifuges, some of them with a purity of up to 60%, close to 90% which is weapons-grade. This is much higher than the 3.67% limit imposed by the deal and the 20% achieved before the deal.
in its confidential reports to member states International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had completed installation of surveillance cameras at the location on April 12 and then removed the seals from the machines. The agency did not say where the location was in Natanz.
The exact location of the workshop is of particular interest to Western powers and Iran’s arch enemy Israel because Karaj was killed by a sabotage attack by Israel, according to Tehran. Tehran has since sought to ensure greater security for such sites.
The massive Natanz site includes a commercial-scale enrichment plant that is underground, which may provide some protection from any possible air attack.
“On 13 April 2022, Iran informed the agency that the machines would start working in the new workshop on the same day,” the report said, without saying whether it had verified that the machines had started working , suggesting that it was not accessible. place since then.
Under an agreement reached with Iran more than a year ago, the IAEA does not have access to data collected by cameras and other surveillance equipment from certain locations, such as centrifuge-parts workshops.
Before moving the Karaj parts to Natanz, Iran also informed the IAEA that it was moving the activities of the Karaj workshop to another site in Isfahan, and that the IAEA had installed cameras there. If Isfahan begins to operate, it will be a major boost to Iran’s ability to produce advanced centrifuge parts.
The new workshop raises questions about Iran’s plans to build advanced centrifuges – machines that produce enriched uranium much faster than first-generation machines, which were used for that purpose in 2015 with major powers. was banned to do.
It is now being enriched by hundreds of advanced centrifuges, some of them with a purity of up to 60%, close to 90% which is weapons-grade. This is much higher than the 3.67% limit imposed by the deal and the 20% achieved before the deal.
in its confidential reports to member states International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had completed installation of surveillance cameras at the location on April 12 and then removed the seals from the machines. The agency did not say where the location was in Natanz.
The exact location of the workshop is of particular interest to Western powers and Iran’s arch enemy Israel because Karaj was killed by a sabotage attack by Israel, according to Tehran. Tehran has since sought to ensure greater security for such sites.
The massive Natanz site includes a commercial-scale enrichment plant that is underground, which may provide some protection from any possible air attack.
“On 13 April 2022, Iran informed the agency that the machines would start working in the new workshop on the same day,” the report said, without saying whether it had verified that the machines had started working , suggesting that it was not accessible. place since then.
Under an agreement reached with Iran more than a year ago, the IAEA does not have access to data collected by cameras and other surveillance equipment from certain locations, such as centrifuge-parts workshops.
Before moving the Karaj parts to Natanz, Iran also informed the IAEA that it was moving the activities of the Karaj workshop to another site in Isfahan, and that the IAEA had installed cameras there. If Isfahan begins to operate, it will be a major boost to Iran’s ability to produce advanced centrifuge parts.