DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Thursday openly acknowledged an allegation attributed to international inspectors that it enriched uranium to 84% purity for the first time, bringing the Islamic Republic closer than ever to obtain suitable material for nuclear weapons.
The acknowledgment by a news site linked to the highest levels of the Iranian theocracy renews pressure on the West to address Tehran’s nuclear program, which had been limited by the 2015 pact that the United States has unilaterally abandoned in 2018. which was followed by years of attacks across the Middle East.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently regained the post of Prime Minister of Israel, is already threatening military action similar to the bombings against the nuclear programs of Iraq and Syria. But although these attacks did not start any war, Iran has an arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones, among other weapons, which the country and its allies have already used in the region.
The website that acknowledged the accusation is Nour News, linked to the Supreme National Security Council, overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Canada sanctioned the website for “engaging in gross and systematic human rights violations and perpetuating disinformation activities to justify the Iranian regime’s repression and persecution of its citizens” during widespread protests across the country in recent months. .
Nour News’ comments came after days of muddled statements in which the country failed to directly acknowledge International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors’ accusation that it had enriched uranium at 84%.
The Bloomberg news agency first reported on Sunday that inspectors from the United Nations nuclear agency had detected particles of uranium enriched up to 84%. The Vienna-based entity did not deny the information and limited itself to saying that “the IAEA is discussing with Iran the results of the agency’s recent verification activities”.
On Thursday, Nour News urged the IAEA “not to fall prey to the seduction of Western countries” and to declare the nation’s nuclear program “completely peaceful”.
“It will soon become clear whether the IAEA’s startling report of the discovery of 84% enriched uranium particles at Iran’s enrichment facilities was an error by inspectors or a deliberate decision to create an anti-political atmosphere. -Iranian on the eve of the meeting of “its board of directors. , said Nour News on Twitter. The board, a group of countries that oversees the agency, will meet from March 6 in Vienna.
The IAEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Iranian site’s statement on Thursday.
It was not immediately clear where this purported degree of enrichment was achieved, although the IAEA said it found two cascades of advanced IR-6 centrifuges at the Fordo underground facility “interconnected in some way. substantially different from the mode of operation declared by They will go to the agency in November of last year.”
Iran is known to have enriched uranium at Fordo to 60% purity, a level that nuclear non-proliferation experts say is of no civilian use to Tehran.
To be used in weapons, uranium must be enriched to 90%.