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The
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticized Iran on
Wednesday for making an undeclared change to the interconnection
between the two clusters of advanced machines enriching uranium
to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, at its Fordow
plant.
Iran said the IAEA's position on Tehran's nuclear work was not
correct.
The IAEA found the change during an unannounced inspection on
Jan. 21 at the Fordow Fuel enrichment Plant (FFEP), a site dug
into a mountain where inspectors are stepping up checks after
Iran said it would dramatically expand enrichment.
"As stated by the Agency, this unnotified change is inconsistent
with Iran's obligations under its NPT-required Comprehensive
Safeguards Agreement," the four countries said in their
statement, referring to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons.
"The IAEA inspector's interpretation was incorrect but he
reported it to the agency ... We immediately provided the
explanation to the IAEA on the same day," Iranian nuclear chief
Mohammad Eslami said on Thursday.
The production of high-enriched uranium by Iran at Fordow
carries significant proliferation-related risks and is without
any credible civilian justification, the joint statement said,
adding Iran has not offered a credible answer yet to the IAEA's
outstanding questions as part of its safeguards investigation.
Fordow is so sensitive that the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran
and major powers banned enrichment there. Since the United
States pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions
against Iran, the Islamic Republic has breached many of the
deal's restrictions on its nuclear activities.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Grant
McCool)
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