TEHRAN, Feb 6 (NNN-IRNA) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday, Tehran had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of its decision to start enriching uranium to the purity level of 60 percent at Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), in Nov, 2022.
Nasser Kanaani made the remark, in response to a joint statement by the United States, Britain, France and Germany on Friday, which accused Iran of being “inconsistent in meeting its nuclear obligations, as shown by a recent IAEA report.”
In a statement, published on the ministry’s website, Kanaani said, Iran had informed the UN watchdog of its uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity at the Fordow facility, on Nov 17, 2022, and all modes of enrichment had been mentioned in the design information questionnaire (DIQ), submitted to the agency.
Turning to the IAEA’s recent inspection of the facility in Jan, 2023, he said, no new or contradictory measure has been implemented at the facility, compared with Nov’s DIQ.
The UN agency criticised Iran on Wednesday, for making an “undeclared change” to the interconnection between the two clusters of advanced machines, enriching uranium to up to 60 percent purity at its Fordow plant.
Later on the day, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi said, the IAEA’s claim was based on a “mistaken” report by an inspector.
Over the past months, the IAEA has voiced some criticism about Iran’s cooperation with the agency. On Nov 17, 2022, the IAEA’s Board of Governors passed a resolution, proposed by the United States, Britain, France and Germany that called on Iran to collaborate with the agency’s investigators, regarding the alleged “traces of uranium” at a number of its “undeclared” sites. Iran has repeatedly rejected all allegations.– NNN-IRNA
