[ad_1]
Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it will once again enrich uranium to 20 percent, the maximum level reached before the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and some Western countries. In a letter sent to the IAEA on December 31, Iran explained that the enrichment of uranium will be done at the Fordow plants, which are known to be built inside a mountain. The return to 20 percent enriched uranium production was one of the retaliatory measures passed by the Iranian parliament in early December following the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, for which Iran blamed Israel.
Uranium enrichment is a critical step in building the atomic weapon, and with 20 percent enrichment, Iran could convert all of its uranium reserves to bomb-building levels in six months (today the uranium enrichment level is 4-5 percent, for a bomb the uranium must be enriched to 90 percent). One of the main goals of the Iranian nuclear deal was to extend the time required for Iran to produce nuclear weapons, if it so wished. On paper, the new Iranian law is a violation of the 2015 agreement, which has in fact lost its effectiveness and importance since the United States unilaterally withdrew from Trump’s decision in 2018, violating its terms.
[ad_2]
