2019 – Posted in: Daily News

IRAN TO BREACH URANIUM STOCKPILE LIMIT

For: Mains

Topic cover: Why Iran is going to breach uranium limit which was set under 2015 nuclear deal, what is Enriched Uranium, Background, the deal, US stand

News Flash

Iran has announced that from June 27, it will breach the limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium that was set under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran started the countdown to pass the 300-kg reserve of enriched uranium.
Its atomic energy agency said it had quadrupled production of the material, which is used to make reactor fuel and potentially nuclear weapons.

Enriched Uranium

Enriched uranium is used to make reactor fuel, but also nuclear weapons.
Low-enriched uranium, which has a 3%-4% concentration of U-235, can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants.
‘Weapons-grade’ uranium is 90% enriched.

Why this limit was set?

Iran was using its nuclear energy programme as a cover to develop a nuclear bomb.
Iran’s growing efforts to develop a nuclear weapon create tension over other big nations (UN, US, EU).
Iran insisted that its nuclear programme was entirely peaceful, but the international community did not believe that.

Background & Accord

In 2015, Iran agreed on a long-term deal on its nuclear programme with a group of world powers known as the P5+1 – the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.
Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
It agreed to limit the enrichment of uranium, which is used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons; redesign a heavy-water reactor being built, whose spent fuel would contain plutonium suitable for a bomb.
In return, relevant sanctions were lifted, allowing Iran to resume oil exports – the government’s main source of revenue.
Iran’s uranium stockpile was reduced by 98% to 300kg (660lbs), a figure that must not be exceeded until 2031.
It must also keep the stockpile’s level of enrichment at 3.67%.
Research and development must take place only at Natanz (Uranium Facility centre, Iran) and be limited until 2024.
No enrichment will be permitted at Fordo (Uranium Facility centre, Iran) until 2031, and the underground facility will be converted into a nuclear, physics and technology centre.
The 1,044 centrifuges at the site will produce radioisotopes for use in medicine, agriculture, industry and, science.
Iran will not be permitted to build additional heavy-water reactors or accumulate any excess heavy water until 2031.

Accord’s impact

Iran had two facilities – Natanz and Fordo – where uranium hexafluoride gas was fed into centrifuges to separate out the most fissile isotope, U-235.

In July 2015, Iran had almost 20,000 centrifuges. Under the JCPOA, it was limited to installing no more than 5,060 of the oldest and least efficient centrifuges at Natanz until 2026 – 15 years after the deal’s “implementation day” in January 2016.
By January 2016, Iran had drastically reduced the number of centrifuges installed at Natanz and Fordo, and shipped tonnes of low-enriched uranium to Russia.

Latest Crisis

The US President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in May 2018 and began reinstating sanctions. In November, those targeting Iran’s oil and financial sectors took effect.
They have triggered an economic meltdown in Iran and soaring inflation.
Iran has now responded by scaling back its commitments under the deal.
It suspended obligatory sales overseas of surplus enriched uranium and heavy water.
It also gave the five countries still party to the deal 60 days to protect Iranian oil sales from US sanctions.
Otherwise, Iran will suspend its restrictions on uranium enrichment and halt the redesign of its heavy-water reactor.

What does the US want?

The administration wants to renegotiate the deal and broaden it to curb Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its involvement in conflicts around the Middle East.

Iran replied that the deal cannot be renegotiated.

Source: BBC

You can follow us on LinkedIn and for more updates related to UPSC IAS Preparation, Like our Facebook Page and subscribe our Diligent IAS Youtube Channel