The head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, announced today (Saturday) in an interview with Iranian television that Iran will begin enriching uranium at a rate of 20% at the Purdue nuclear facility soon. This is the implementation of the Iranian parliament’s decision in November, which in practice means a complete exit from the nuclear agreement.
Salehi said in an interview that Iran’s representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna would inform the agency about the implementation of the decision, adding that agency inspectors must participate in the process to remove roadblocks imposed on some equipment. Quickly”.
Iran reportedly froze work at the Purdue nuclear facility in accordance with the 2015 nuclear deal but resumed operations in 2018, in response to the United States’ withdrawal from the nuclear deal and the sanctions it imposed on it. Since then, Iran has gradually withdrawn from its commitments to the agreement, and with the implementation of the current move, it will in fact withdraw completely from it.
Salahi explained that at this point they are enriching uranium gas by 4% and added: “Now we need to provide 5% to achieve 20%. It must be supervised by the IAEA. We have announced that we want to do this in the near future and they must take the necessary steps. ”
The Iranian decision obliges the government to produce 120 kilograms of uranium enriched with 20% annually, and to operate 1,000 IR-2m centrifuges at the Natanz facility. It also states that 1,000 IR-6 centrifuges will be operational by March. In addition, it was decided to suspend another protocol signed by Iran as part of the nuclear agreement, which includes periodic inspections and permission for IAEA inspectors to visit the suspected sites.