The Iranian authorities have announced the start of work on uranium enrichment at the 20 percent level at the Fordow nuclear facility. This was announced by Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabia.
Earlier, Tehran ratified the law on countering U.S. sanctions, adopted earlier by the country’s legislature, which provides for uranium enrichment at 20 percent (i.e., Iran has actually announced the production of weapons-grade uranium). This document also provides for the start of operation in the country of a new generation of centrifuges – at least 174 IR-6 centrifuges (their number is planned to increase to a thousand within a year), as well as about a thousand IR-2M centrifuges.
However, the nuclear deal allows Tehran only 3.67 percent uranium enrichment, as well as the use of first-generation IR-1 centrifuges.
The law passed in Iran also provides for the government to waive an additional IAEA protocol on extended nuclear production checks if the parties to the deal fail to comply within two months of the “enactment” of the law. U.S. sanctions limit the supply of Iranian oil to European countries and also prevent the normalization of banking structures.
The adoption of the document was being prepared for a long time, but due to the murder of Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhriddzadeh, the Iranian parliament considered the law in an expedited manner.
