Where is Iran’s missing uranium?
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Nuclear watchdog demands clarity on status of missing uranium in Iran
IAEA chief urges Iran to clarify whereabouts of missing nuclear material. Iranian diplomat questions effectiveness of international non-proliferation rules. Israel has been attacking Iran for more than a week. The United States joined the conflict on Sunday with strikes on three facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear programme. The U.S. says the attacks dealt a “fundamental and irreparable blow” to the existing legal system. The NPT bars non-nuclear states from acquiring nuclear weapons but affirms their right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful use. It is now necessary for IAEA inspectors to verify Iran’s stocks of 60% uranium.
At an emergency meeting of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna on Monday, Grossi pointed out Tehran’s corresponding obligations.
Israel has been attacking Iran for more than a week. The United States joined the conflict on Sunday with strikes on three facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.
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Grossi emphasized that any transport of nuclear materials must be reported to the IAEA in accordance with the binding inspection agreement between the nuclear authority and Iran.
According to an IAEA report, Iran possesses more than 400 kilograms of uranium with a purity level of 60%, which is almost suitable for weapons.
Diplomats say this could be used to produce several nuclear weapons if the material were further enriched to 90%.
It is now necessary for IAEA inspectors to verify Iran’s stocks of 60% uranium, Grossi added.
Iran envoy questions nuclear treaty rules after US strikes
On the sidelines of the emergency meeting on Monday, Iran’s IAEA envoy, Reza Najafi, said the US attacks on his country’s nuclear facilities undermined the core objectives of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
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The NPT bars non-nuclear states from acquiring nuclear weapons but affirms their right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful use.
Najafi said the attacks dealt “a fundamental and irreparable blow” to the existing legal system.
Tehran maintains it has no intention of building nuclear weapons, but there is growing international concern that Iran is edging closer to having that capability.
Israel, the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, maintains a doctrine that opposes any hostile nation in the region gaining nuclear weapons, viewing it as a threat to its survival.
IAEA: Iran nuclear sites likely severely damaged in strikes
According to the IAEA, the missing material was stored in Isfahan, where Israel and the US have bombed several nuclear facilities.
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“Given the explosive payload utilized, and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Grossi said during his speech at the emergency meeting.
“Iran has informed the IAEA that there was no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites,” he added.
The uranium had previously been produced in enrichment facilities in Natanz and Fordow, both of which were also severely damaged.
Grossi noted that the underground uranium enrichment plant in Fordow was likely severely damaged by the use of massive US bombs.
Source: https://www.channel4.com/news/where-is-irans-missing-uranium-expert-explains