Tehran – Iran said Friday it would launch a series of “new and advanced” centrifuges in response to a resolution passed by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, which criticizes Tehran for what the agency called a lack of cooperation. The vote of no confidence submitted by Britain, France, Germany and the United States to the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) follows a similar motion in June.
It came as Tensions are high over Iran’s nuclear programwith critics fearing that Tehran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon – a claim the Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied.
Iran says it will “substantially increase” its uranium enrichment capacity.
The resolution – which China, Russia and Burkina Faso voted against – was adopted by 19 votes in favor, 12 abstentions and Venezuela did not participate, two diplomats told AFP.
“The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has issued an order to take effective measures, including the launch of a significant series of new and advanced centrifuges of various types,” said a joint statement from the organization and Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization via AP
Centrifuges are the machines that enrich uranium converted into gas by rotating it at very high speed, increasing the proportion of fissile isotope material (U-235).
“At the same time, technical and security cooperation with the IAEA will continue as in the past” and within the framework of the agreements reached by Iran, the joint Iranian statement said.
Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency, said on Friday that the new measures are mainly related to uranium enrichment.
“We will significantly increase enrichment capacity by using various types of advanced machinery,” he told state TV.
Iran’s retaliation “is reversible if this (Western) hostile action is withdrawn or if negotiations are opened,” Tehran-based political analyst Hadi Mohammadi told AFP.
The IAEA demands “credible explanations” from Iran
The confidential resolution seen by AFP says it is “essential and urgent” for Iran to “act to fulfill its legal obligations” under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ratified in 1970.
The text also calls on Tehran to provide “technically credible explanations” for the presence of uranium particles found at two undeclared locations in Iran.
In addition, Western powers are asking that the IAEA issue a “comprehensive report” on Iran’s nuclear efforts “no later than” by spring 2025.
-/Atomic Energy Organization of Iran/AFP/Getty
The resolution comes after Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, returned last week from a trip to Tehran, where he appeared to have made progress. During the visit, Iran agreed to a request from the IAEA to restrict the border sensitive stockpile of near-weapon-grade uranium enriched to 60% purity.
“Iran has not started the cycle of provocation – the Western side, without passing a resolution… could create the atmosphere for negotiations if it was really after talks,” said analyst Mohammadi.
The 2015 nuclear deal and how we got here
In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement that eased international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But the United States, led by then-President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed tough economic sanctions, prompting Iran to roll back its own commitments.
President Biden tried to revive parts of the deal during his first two years in office, but was unsuccessful.
Without offering any specific evidence for his claim, the chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee, Representative Mike Turner, claimed in a statement August interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that Iran could “declare itself a nuclear weapons state by the end of the year,” blaming the Biden administration for what would mark a major escalation that the U.S. has been trying to avoid for years .
Iran “could declare itself a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year, and there have been news reports saying there is a possibility,” Turner told Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan.
Pressed by Brennan about whether U.S. intelligence believed that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had already decided, after many years of insisting that his country would not attempt to develop a nuclear weapon, to change that policy, Turner replied, “No.”
On Thursday, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, warned of Iran’s possible next move.
“Iran had announced in an official letter to European countries that it would withdraw from the NPT if the snapback mechanism was activated and Security Council sanctions were reinstated,” Gharibabadi said in a late evening interview with the state television.
The 2015 deal includes a “snapback” mechanism that could be triggered in the event of “significant non-compliance” by Iran with its obligations.
This could result in many sanctions being reimposed.
Tehran has reduced its cooperation with the agency since 2021, deactivating surveillance equipment that monitors its nuclear program and banning U.N. inspectors.
At the same time, the country has increased its nuclear activities, including increasing its stockpiles of enriched uranium and enrichment levels to 60%.
That level, according to the IAEA, is close to the more than 90 percent threshold required for a nuclear warhead and significantly higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in 2015.
