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Iran rejects freeze on uranium enrichment

Ali-Akbar-Salehi

Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization says Tehran will not give up its right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to enrich uranium to more than five percent.

“I state here that like any other country we are entitled to the fuel cycle technology within the frameworks of the NPT and in accordance with the safeguards agreement. So we do not accept any further restrictions aside from what we have been committed to as an NPT signatory,” Ali-Akbar Salehi told Iran Daily.

He made the remarks in response to the question that Iran’s agreement to purchase the fuel has raised concerns that the country is satisfied with enriching uranium at a lower percentage and will concede the right to enrich at higher percentage to other countries.

He added that Iran presently has no need to enrich uranium to more than four or five percent.

“There is no reason to go beyond 4 or 5 percent enrichment because of the type of reactors we are using in our country. Therefore, enrichment to 5 percent is the highest enrichment envisioned for the future reactors that we will have in Iran. But this does not mean that we will forgo our rights to higher-level enrichment that has been granted to us under international treaties or agreements,” he added.

Salehi announced that Iran plans to produce 30 tons of nuclear fuel per year.

“We aim to supply Bushehr power plant with 30 tons of fuel per year and this research reactor requires at most 300 kilograms for 30 years. So, for us, it is not very attractive to really proceed to the process of enriching uranium to 20 percent,” he added.

Salehi reiterated that Iran would enrich uranium to 20 percent if the major world powers fail to supply the country with nuclear fuel as ‘more than 180 hospitals use radiopharmaceuticals daily’.

On Wednesday, Iran and Western powers agreed to consider a draft nuclear deal proposed by the UN nuclear watchdog after three days of talks in Vienna.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said the draft agreement, which he says could dramatically reduce international concerns over Tehran’s enrichment activities, has been sent to Iran, Russia, the United States and France on the third and final day of the negotiations.

While the details of the draft have not been disclosed, it is believed to involve Iran trading its low-level with higher-level uranium.

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