Iran has begun 60% uranium enrichment at its Natanz plant, the country’s nuclear chief said on Friday, days after an explosion hit the underground location that Tehran blamed on the Israeli state. “We are producing about nine grams of 60% enriched uranium an hour,” Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s nuclear energy Organization, said. “But we’ve to figure on arrangements to drop it to five grams per hour.”
Earlier, parliament speaker Mohammad Qalibaf said Iranian scientists had successfully started enriching 60 percent uranium. “The will of the Iranian nation makes miracles that thwart any conspiracy,” Qalibaf said on Twitter. Iran has said its decision to extend enrichment to its highest level ever was in response to sabotage at its key nuclear site at Natanz on Sunday by Israeli defense forces.
More:
- Iran Nuclear Talks Restart Amid Strains Over Enrichment, Natanz Attack
- Iran Says Israel Made A Very Bad Gamble By Sabotaging Natanz
Iran and global powers are meeting in Vienna in a bid to revive a historic 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by Washington nearly three years ago, in an attempt potentially complicated by Tehran’s decision to build up uranium enrichment. After unilaterally withdrawing from the pact, the former US president Trump reimposed crippling economic sanctions on Tehran, prompting it to violate its end of the deal.
The 2015 agreement sought to form it harder for Iran to develop an atom bomb – something it denies ever trying to do- reciprocally for lifting the international sanctions.
Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator at nuclear talks in Vienna, said earlier in the week that Iran would activate 1,000 advanced centrifuge machines at Natanz underground facility. An Iranian official told RushHourDaily that “60% enrichment will be in small quantity” only. Meanwhile, the government in Israel, which opposes the historic nuclear deal, has not formally commented on the incident at Natanz facility.
