Why Iran refuses to step back on uranium enrichment

Iran’s ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected immoderate compromise implicit his country’s atomic programme this week, vowing not to output to unit to springiness up uranium enrichment.

The contented has agelong been astatine the centre of disputes with Western powers, particularly the United States, which impeach Tehran of seeking a atomic limb — a assertion Khamenei again denied.

Below are cardinal questions:

– Why importune connected enrichment? –

Iran’s atomic assemblage employs much than 17,000 people, according to Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi.

He says atomic vigor is utilized for energy arsenic good arsenic health, agriculture and precocious technologies.

Khamenei said enriched materials enactment sectors including Iran’s strained powerfulness grid during uncommon summertime heatwaves.

Civilian atomic plants usage uranium enriched to betwixt 3 and 5 percent, portion Tehran’s probe reactor requires up to 20 percent, according to Iranian media.

Enrichment roseate to 60 percent aft Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 atomic woody and reimposed sanctions connected Iran during his archetypal word arsenic US president successful 2018.

Iran insists the enrichment programme has nary subject ambitions, though 60 percent is conscionable abbreviated of the 90 percent weapons threshold.

The UN’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says Iran is the lone non-nuclear limb authorities to enrich uranium to specified levels.

Tehran says it has paid a precocious terms for its enrichment activities including assassinations of scientists and sabotage of facilities successful attacks mostly blamed connected Israel.

In June, Israel attacked Iran, and was aboriginal joined by the United States successful strikes connected atomic sites.

– Why is it non-negotiable? –

Washington present demands Tehran renounce enrichment — a US reddish line.

The 2015 accord capped Iran’s enrichment astatine 3.67 percent successful speech for sanctions alleviation implicit a 10-year play ending successful October.

Khamenei said Iran had “carried retired each the obligations we were expected to do” but “none of the promises they made were fulfilled”.

He argues giving up enrichment would enactment the Islamic republic successful an adjacent weaker presumption than nether the 2015 deal, which already faced absorption from hardliners.

Tehran besides considers civilian atomic vigor — including uranium enrichment — a close nether the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of which it is simply a member.

– When did it start? –

Iran’s atomic programme dates backmost to the 1950s nether the US-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who signed a civilian atomic practice woody with Washington successful 1957.

Tehran ratified the NPT successful 1970, placing atomic worldly nether IAEA oversight.

In 1974, the shah launched an ambitious program to physique astatine slightest 20 powerfulness plants to conscionable rising home vigor needs and offset finite lipid reserves.

Construction began successful Bushehr with German steadfast Siemens but was halted aft the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the 1980–88 Iran-Iraq war.

– Why suspicion? –

In 2002, outer images aired by US broadcasters revealed 2 undeclared sites adjacent Arak and Natanz.

The pursuing year, the United Nations recovered traces of enriched uranium astatine Natanz, 1 of Iran’s main facilities targeted by the United States erstwhile it joined Israel successful attacking Iran this year.

Western powers, led by the United States and joined by Israel, impeach Iran of seeking atomic weapons, a complaint it denies, sparking a prolonged standoff.

Iran began enrichment to 3.5 percent successful 2006, aboriginal raising it to 4.8 percent. The United Nations imposed its archetypal sanctions that December.

By 2009, enrichment reached 20 percent. Tensions eased successful 2015 with a landmark atomic woody betwixt Iran and large powers.

But with the United States’ withdrawal, renewed sanctions and Iran’s determination to enrich uranium to 60 percent, the quality is backmost astatine the forefront of planetary attention, with imaginable sanctions looming.

AFP

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