The powers issued a joint statement expressing "deep concern" about Tehran's intention to produce metallic uranium • "Calls for halting these actions and maintaining the nuclear agreement"
Centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility
Photography:
AP (Archive)
The European powers issued a joint statement today (Saturday) expressing "deep concern" over Iran's intention to produce metallic uranium, as revealed to me this week by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The statement, signed by the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, reads: "The production of metallic uranium in Iran has serious military implications. .
It also said that Iran had no "reasonable civilian use for metallic uranium."
Opposition group claims: Iran builds nuclear bomb (archive)
In the nuclear agreement that Iran signed with the six powers in 2015, it was explicitly forbidden to develop or purchase heavy metals of uranium or plutonium for 15 years, that is, until 2030.
Last week, the Atomic Energy Agency announced that Iran had informed it of its intention to build an industrial facility for the production of metallic uranium.
According to the announcement, the material is needed for a research nuclear reactor located in Tehran.
Metallic pines can be used for the production of fuel rods for civilian electric boilers, but also for the construction of the core of an atomic bomb.
Experts around the world have expressed concern that Iran is interested in getting its hands on the material, after finding a sufficient amount of enriched uranium to start producing nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Iran has announced that it is considering filing a complaint against the United States in the United Nations World Court, due to a continuing violation of its claim to the freedom of movement of its representatives to the UN General Assembly in New York.
