Iran announced on Saturday that it plans to enrich its uranium by up to 20 percent at its Fordow facility amid rising tensions with the U.S. in the last days of the Trump administration.
Iranian state television confirmed that Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s civilian Atomic Energy Organization, sent a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) informing about Tehran’s decision to enrich its uranium just a few steps away from weapons. graduation levels.
The IAEA also confirmed to The Hill that it had received the letter and said it would keep an eye on any developments at Fordow’s underground facilities.
“Iran informed the agency that, in order to comply with a legal act recently approved by the country’s parliament, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization plans to produce up to 20 percent low-enriched uranium (LEU) at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. Iran letter to the agency, dated [Dec. 31, 2020] I did not say when this enrichment activity would take place, ”said the agency.
“The agency has inspectors present in Iran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they have regular access to Fordow,” he added. “In line with standard safeguards practice, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will promptly report any relevant developments to IAEA Member States, as he did [Friday] about the Iran letter. ”
Iran’s decision to further enrich its uranium comes amid growing friction with Washington and concerns that Tehran is considering military action in the Middle East in the coming days.
Two Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses flew from Minot Air Force Base, ND, to the Persian Gulf this week in an attempt to deliver “a clear deterrent message to anyone intending to harm Americans or American interests,” according to the US Central Command. The flights marked the third such mission in 45 days.
The US Central Command has not identified Iran as the source of its concerns, but speculation has emerged that Tehran may be planning some sort of attack through its proxy forces across the region to commemorate the first anniversary of the murder of Qassem Soleimani in January 3, Iran’s chief general, in a US air strike in Iraq.
A senior US military official told Fox News that a US intelligence report suggests that Iran wants to “avenge that murder” and has “potential for other, more complex attacks” against Americans in Iraq.
“We are seeing plans, especially in Iraq, for complex attacks that require Iranian assistance to execute,” said the official.
President Trump
Donald Trump Trump calls the second round of the Georgia Senate ‘both illegal and invalid’ in New Year’s tweets. Judge rejects Gohmert’s electoral process against Pence Former Republican Party senator suggests forming a new party, calls Trump the ‘master’ of Republicans MORE withdrew the US from the Obama-era nuclear pact with Iran in 2018. The pact imposed limits on Tehran’s ability to enrich its uranium in exchange for sanctions.
Democrats have widely welcomed the deal as an effective tool to contain Iran’s nuclear program, but Trump and Republicans have long criticized it as insufficient because it does not cover Tehran’s missile program or its relationship with a range of proxy forces across the country. Middle East who fought against US troops.
Iran is already violating the agreement, enriching uranium to 4.5 percent, which is above the agreement’s 3.67 percent limit. However, jumping to 20% would be a steep climb, since uranium enriched to that level could easily be turned into weapon-friendly material.
Saturday’s announcement may be an attempt to pressure the president-elect Joe Biden
Joe BidenTrump calls the second round of the Georgia Senate ‘both illegal and invalid’ in New Year’s tweets. Judge rejects Gohmert’s electoral process against Pence Former Republican Party senator suggests forming a new party, calls Trump the ‘master’ of Republicans MORE – a warning that Tehran could continue its enrichment if Biden fails to deliver on his promise to restart negotiations on the nuclear deal.
The Fordow facility was first revealed in 2009, alarming international experts that the site, which is armed with anti-aircraft guns and other fortifications, could be used for military purposes.
The US military began making “bunk-destroying” bombs designed to destroy these facilities after the revelation and, with Israel, launched a complex cyber attack on nuclear facilities in 2010, after Tehran first decided to enrich 20 percent uranium.