{"id":4501,"date":"2023-03-04T15:23:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-04T15:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4501"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:40:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:40:37","slug":"un-nuclear-head-meets-iranians-over-enrichment-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/diplomatic-world\/un-nuclear-head-meets-iranians-over-enrichment-concerns\/2023\/03\/04\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"UN Nuclear head meets Iranians over enrichment Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

DUBAI,<\/span> United<\/span> Arab<\/span> Emirates<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> The<\/span> head<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> UN’s<\/span> nuclear<\/span> watchdog<\/span> met<\/span> with<\/span> Iranian<\/span> officials<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday.<\/span> Days<\/span> after<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> revealed<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> had<\/span> enriched<\/span> uranium<\/span> particles<\/span> to<\/span> near-weapons<\/span> levels,<\/span> it<\/span> sounded<\/span> new<\/span> alarm<\/span> bells<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> long-controversial<\/span> serial<\/span> nuclear<\/span> arsenal.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> head<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> International<\/span> Atomic<\/span> Energy<\/span> Agency,<\/span> Rafael<\/span> Mariano<\/span> Grossi,<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> press<\/span> conference<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> head<\/span> of<\/span> Iran’s<\/span> nuclear<\/span> program<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> delegation’s<\/span> work<\/span> was<\/span> not<\/span> yet<\/span> completed<\/span> and<\/span> declined<\/span> to<\/span> comment<\/span> on<\/span> his<\/span> talks.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“It’s<\/span> an<\/span> atmosphere<\/span> of<\/span> work,<\/span> integrity<\/span> and<\/span> cooperation,”<\/span> Grossi<\/span> said.<\/span> He<\/span> was<\/span> later<\/span> scheduled<\/span> to<\/span> meet<\/span> with<\/span> Iranian<\/span> President<\/span> Ebrahim<\/span> Raisi<\/span> and<\/span> speak<\/span> to<\/span> reporters<\/span> after<\/span> returning<\/span> to<\/span> Vienna.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Earlier<\/span> this<\/span> week,<\/span> the<\/span> Vienna-based<\/span> International<\/span> Atomic<\/span> Energy<\/span> Agency<\/span> reported<\/span> that<\/span> uranium<\/span> particles<\/span> enriched<\/span> to<\/span> 83.7%<\/span> \u2014<\/span> just<\/span> below<\/span> weapon<\/span> class<\/span> \u2014<\/span> were<\/span> found<\/span> at<\/span> Iran’s<\/span> underground<\/span> He<\/span> Fordow<\/span> nuclear<\/span> facility.<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> IAEA’s<\/span> confidential<\/span> quarterly<\/span> report,<\/span> distributed<\/span> to<\/span> member<\/span> states<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday,<\/span> comes<\/span> amid<\/span> Western<\/span> anger<\/span> over<\/span> months<\/span> of<\/span> anti-government<\/span> protests<\/span> in<\/span> Iran<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> export<\/span> of<\/span> attack<\/span> drones<\/span> to<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> fighting<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span> ,<\/span> announced<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> time<\/span> when<\/span> tensions<\/span> were<\/span> already<\/span> high.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> IAEA<\/span> reports<\/span> that<\/span> his<\/span> two<\/span> cascades<\/span> of<\/span> IR-6<\/span> centrifuges<\/span> at<\/span> his<\/span> Fordow<\/span> facility<\/span> in<\/span> Iran<\/span> are<\/span> configured<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> “substantially<\/span> different”<\/span> manner<\/span> than<\/span> previously<\/span> described.<\/span> He<\/span> was<\/span> discovered<\/span> in<\/span> January<\/span> by<\/span> investigators.<\/span> The<\/span> IAEA<\/span> took<\/span> samples<\/span> the<\/span> next<\/span> day<\/span> and<\/span> showed<\/span> particles<\/span> up<\/span> to<\/span> 83.7%<\/span> pure,<\/span> the<\/span> report<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> IAEA<\/span> report<\/span> only<\/span> mentions<\/span> “particulate<\/span> matter”,<\/span> suggesting<\/span> that<\/span> Iran<\/span> does<\/span> not<\/span> stockpile<\/span> uranium<\/span> enriched<\/span> above<\/span> 60%<\/span> of<\/span> hers.<\/span> However,<\/span> the<\/span> agency<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> its<\/span> report<\/span> that<\/span> it<\/span> “will<\/span> continue<\/span> to<\/span> increase<\/span> the<\/span> frequency<\/span> and<\/span> intensity<\/span> of<\/span> its<\/span> review<\/span> activities”<\/span> at<\/span> Ford<\/span> following<\/span> this<\/span> finding.<\/span> Iran<\/span> has<\/span> attempted<\/span> to<\/span> portray<\/span> the<\/span> detection<\/span> of<\/span> highly<\/span> enriched<\/span> uranium<\/span> particles<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> temporary<\/span> side<\/span> effect<\/span> of<\/span> trying<\/span> to<\/span> achieve<\/span> a<\/span> final<\/span> product<\/span> of<\/span> 60%<\/span> purity.<\/span> But<\/span> experts<\/span> say<\/span> wide<\/span> variations<\/span> in<\/span> purity,<\/span> even<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> atomic<\/span> level,<\/span> would<\/span> raise<\/span> suspicions<\/span> among<\/span> inspectors.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Mohammad<\/span> Eslami,<\/span> head<\/span> of<\/span> Iran’s<\/span> nuclear<\/span> program,<\/span> confirmed<\/span> the<\/span> findings<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> IAEA<\/span> report<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> press<\/span> conference<\/span> with<\/span> Grossi,<\/span> but<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> not<\/span> 84%<\/span> enriched.<\/span> ‘<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> resolved.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> non-proliferation<\/span> expert<\/span> says<\/span> Tehran<\/span> has<\/span> no<\/span> civilian<\/span> use<\/span> of<\/span> uranium<\/span> he<\/span> has<\/span> enriched<\/span> to<\/span> 60%.<\/span> A<\/span> stockpile<\/span> of<\/span> 90%<\/span> enriched<\/span> material,<\/span> the<\/span> level<\/span> required<\/span> for<\/span> a<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapon,<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> readily<\/span> used<\/span> to<\/span> create<\/span> a<\/span> nuclear<\/span> bomb<\/span> if<\/span> Iran<\/span> so<\/span> desired.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Her<\/span> 2015<\/span> nuclear<\/span> deal<\/span> with<\/span> Iran<\/span> and<\/span> world<\/span> powers<\/span> limited<\/span> Tehran’s<\/span> uranium<\/span> supplies,<\/span> limiting<\/span> her<\/span> enrichment<\/span> to<\/span> 3.67%.<\/span> This<\/span> is<\/span> enough<\/span> to<\/span> run<\/span> a<\/span> nuclear<\/span> power<\/span> plant.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>After<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> unilaterally<\/span> withdrew<\/span> from<\/span> her<\/span> 2018<\/span> deal<\/span> and<\/span> reimposed<\/span> crippling<\/span> sanctions<\/span> on<\/span> Iran,<\/span> it<\/span> began<\/span> openly<\/span> violating<\/span> the<\/span> pact’s<\/span> restrictions.<\/span> Efforts<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Biden<\/span> administration,<\/span> European<\/span> nations<\/span> and<\/span> Iran<\/span> to<\/span> negotiate<\/span> a<\/span> return<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> deal<\/span> stalled<\/span> last<\/span> summer.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Although<\/span> Iran<\/span> has<\/span> long<\/span> denied<\/span> seeking<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> and<\/span> claims<\/span> its<\/span> program<\/span> is<\/span> peaceful,<\/span> it<\/span> is<\/span> widely<\/span> believed<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> had<\/span> a<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> program<\/span> until<\/span> 2003.<\/span> Grossi<\/span> last<\/span> visited<\/span> Iran<\/span> in<\/span> March<\/span> 2022.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog met with Iranian officials on Saturday. Days after it was revealed that the country had enriched uranium particles to near-weapons levels, it sounded new alarm bells about the long-controversial serial nuclear arsenal. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,280,2450,2480,2482],"tags":[1441,1442,1443,1444,151,1439,1440],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/irn.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4501"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4501"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4503,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4501\/revisions\/4503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}