AEOI: Activities at Natanz N. Facility on Track

“Sanctions, assassination of nuclear scientists, destruction in Natanz centrifuge assembly hall and the recent terrorist attack at these facilities all demonstrate the frustration of the enemies, and the willpower of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear scientists has turned all such unwise acts to desperation,” the AEOI said on its official twitter page.

“Natanz nuclear facilities will move forward with utmost speed towards specified targets,” it added.

The AEOI underlined that “if deemed necessary, Iranian scientists will display Iran’s scientific might in nuclear technology to the world again”.

“The determination of the Iranian scientists remains intact.”

An incident was reported at a part of the power network of the Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday morning.

The incident at the power distribution network of Shahid Ahmadi Roshan facility in Natanz has been blamed on Israel. While Tel Aviv officials have made implicit confession of the terrorist attack, the Israeli state and private media have acknowledged Mossad’s leading role in the attack.

Iranian officials have vowed retaliation against perpetrators, specially Israel.

Iran’s Permanent Representative to Vienna-based International Organizations Kazzem Qaribabadi slammed Israel as the main culprit behind the recent incident in Natanz nuclear facility, adding that the act of sabotage will not stop enrichment activities in the complex.

“The full responsibility for this act of sabotage lies with the Zionist regime of Israel and its supporters,” Qaribabadi, who is also Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a televised interview, adding the damaged IR-1 centrifuges would be replaced in no time with others capable of 50 percent more enrichment capacity.

He stressed that the latest generation of homegrown centrifuges would also be set up in the nuclear facility in the near future.

In a first move to show Iran’s hardening stance in reaction to the Sunday terrorist attack on Natanz nuclear facility, the country declared on Tuesday that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) will initiate preparatory steps to start enriching uranium to the 60% purity level.

“Upon an order by the President, the AEOI has been required to launch 60-percent uranium enrichment line under Article 1 of the Parliament Law on ‘Strategic Action to Remove Sanctions’ and protect the Iranian nation’s interests,” AEOI Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told FNA on Tuesday night.

He further added that the International Atomic Energy Agency has been informed of Iran’s plan, and pointed out that the 60-percent enriched uranium is used in the production of Molybdenum to be used for the production of different types of radiomedicine, with applications in the treatement of patients including those with cardiac problems.

The spokesman further explained about the preparatory steps to be taken tonight, and said executive plans will go under development to replace the damaged IR1 centrifuges with new machines with a 50-percent higher capacity due to their quality improvements.

Meantime, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi who leads the country’s negotiating team in talks with the G4+1 (Russia, China, UK and France plus Germany) in Vienna confirmed the launch of 60-percent enrichment on Tuesday.

“Iran has informed the IAEA director general in a letter today that it plans to start 60-percent enrichment,” said Araqchi, who is now in Vienna for a second round of talks with members of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the removal of the US sanctions as a first step to revive the nuclear deal.