Iran begins activating “new, advanced centrifuges.”
Iran: In response to the most recent “anti-Tehran” resolution passed by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, Iran announced on Friday that it has begun turning on “new, advanced centrifuges” that enrich uranium for the nation’s nuclear program.
According to Iranian state media, the head of the nuclear authority has ordered “effective measures” in reaction to the latest IAEA decision, according to a joint statement released by Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
Among these steps is the installation of a sizable quantity of “new and advanced centrifuges of different types.”
The resolution, according to news site IRNA, was “politically motivated, unrealistic, and a counterproductive measure,” according to the joint statement.
It further said that, as previously agreed upon by Iran and the IAEA, technical and safeguards cooperation with the IAEA would continue.
The statement also emphasized Iran’s unwavering commitment to its core policies of safeguarding the country’s rights and interests and advancing its nuclear program for peaceful ends.
The 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors meeting accepted the IAEA resolution, which was written by France, Germany, and the UK with backing from the US. Iran criticized the June adoption of a similar resolution at the time, calling it “hurried and unwise.”
The decision was made only days after Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, visited Tehran and met with President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior Iranian officials.
Iran’s UN ambassador, Saeid Iravani, blasted the IAEA decision on Friday, claiming it was passed “without consideration” of Grossi’s previous trip to Tehran, which he said had yielded “positive results.” Iran’s reaction, Iravani said, will be grounded in its “legitimate rights.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi has called the foreign ministers of the nations that are members of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the IRNA news source.
According to Iranian state media, Araghchi met with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Thailand, and Ghana, the council’s head, and urged the Board of Governors’ member states to reject the resolution put forth by the three European nations and stop the Council of Governors from serving as a forum for their political aspirations.
Iran was only permitted to employ advanced centrifuges for research purposes under the provisions of the 2015 nuclear agreement, according to a CNN report, and was only permitted to operate around 5,000 older-model centrifuges. However, when then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018 and reinstated economic sanctions on Iran, which severely damaged its economy, Tehran progressively reduced its obligations to the agreement. According to a CNN story from 2019, Iran was breaking the agreement by starting additional centrifuges.
