AEOI: Iran May Need 56-Percent Enriched Uranium

Director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi said in Tehran today that Iran may need to obtain uranium enriched up to 56 percent, Fars News Agency reported. Abbasi added Iran has no current plan to enrich beyond 20 percent, “but in some special cases like ship and submarines, where we must manufacture small engines, it requires fuel enriched up to 56 percent.” (Fars Nrews Agency, 16 April)

This is the first time that an Iranian official discusses the possibility that Iran may need to go beyond the 20-percent enrichment.

Iran Denies Technical Problems at Bushehr Nuclear Plant

The director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereydoun Abbasi, said today in Tehran that the country’s Bushehr nuclear power plant is not experiencing any technical problems. Abbasi said the current inspections taking place at the plant are related to the transfer of management responsibilities from the Russians to the Iranians. Earlier today, there were unconfirmed reports of possible technical problems at Bushehr. 

File photo: Bushehr nuclear power plant (AFP/Majid Asgaripour)

Iran Removed Nuclear Reactor Fuel to Clear Construction Debris

The director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereydoon Abbasi told reporters in Tehran that the country’s Bushehr nuclear power reactor was shut down in October and its fuel was removed because construction debris were found in the fuel tank. The bolts and welding material left inside the reactor had led to abnormal readings during operation.

AEOI reports that the Bushehr is now refueled and will go back online shortly.

File photo: Fereydoon Abbasi at IAEA in Vienna. September 2012. (AP/Ronald Zak)

Iran Issued False Nuclear Data to Mislead Foreign Intelligence- Official

The director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Fereydoon Abbasi, wrote in an article published Thursday by pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat that Iran had sometimes provided false information to IAEA to protect its nuclear program from foreign espionage. Abbasi did not specify the nature of the false information. (The New York Times, 21 September)

“We presented false information sometimes in order to protect our nuclear position and our achievements, as there is no other choice but to mislead foreign intelligence,” Abbasi wrote. “Sometimes we present a weakness that we do not in fact really have, and sometimes we appear to have power without having it.”

Iran has also refused IAEA demands to provide unfettered access to its inspectors to investigate suspicions about the existence of of the existence of a nuclear weapons research program.

“Others accuse us, and the agency (IAEA) seeks to establish these accusations, like what happened with the regime of Saddam Hussein, wanting a legal framework by which to isolate Iran and toughen sanctions on it,” Abbasi said.

On Monday, Mr. Abbasi said at an IAEA meeting that the agency had been infiltrated by “terrorists and saboteurs.” He also linked a previously unreported explosion of power lines to the country’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility to information gained by saboteurs through compromised security within the IAEA.

It is still unclear why Iran should admit to having issued false information on its nuclear program during a tense period in its relations with the West and Israel. It could be that some of the information was to come up in the open and Iran wanted to preempt its impact. Very strange nonetheless!

Amano in Tehran

IAEA Director Yukiya Amano arrived in Tehran today accompanied by Herman Nackaerts, the IAEA deputy director general for safeguards, and Rafael Mariano Grossi, the agency’s assistant director general for policy, and was welcomed at Tehran’s airport by Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh. Mr. Amano has already held talks with the Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereydoun Abbasi and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. He is also scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi before departing for Geneva.

No details of Amano’s talks with Iranian officials were available at this time, but analysts believe that Mr. Amano would not have made the previously unscheduled visit to Tehran if he did not believe that a framework agreement on IAEA expanded powers to inspect the country’s nuclear and relevant military sites could be achieved during his stay in the country. 

On Wednesday, the six major powers and Iran would resume their talks in Baghdad. For the West, the stated goal of the meeting is to start a verifiable process to halt any work on nuclear weapons in Iran. Today’s expected agreement between IAEA and Iran on free access of the agency’s inspectors to suspected military sites, namely Parchin, would go a long way to seal a deal in Baghdad.

Photo Credit: IAEA Director Yukiya Amano (center) meets Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili (r) with Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh present. Tehran. 21 May 2012. IRNA 

US-EU Demands Have No Rationale – Iran Atomic Chief

Leaves Door Open for Compromise

Fereydoon Abbasi, the director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in Tehran today that the demands by the West as reported by the New York Times for closing and dismantling of Fordo underground uranium enrichment facility and halting the production of 20-percent nuclear fuel do not have any rationale, but left the door open for compromise.

"We do not see any rationale for such a request from the P5+1," Abbasi said. “(But) if they do not threaten us and guarantee that no aggression will occur, then there would be no need for countries to build facilities underground. They (US and EU) should change their behavior and language," he added [ISNA, 8 April].

US Raises Concern Over Iran’s Nuclear Intention

Iran Blames US for Building Underground Enrichment Facility

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu today warned that Iran is practicing nuclear "denial, deceit and evasion." Chu said Iran’s decision to move its enrichment facility for higher-grade uranium to an underground bunker (Fordo) brings it closer to being able to producing fissile material for nuclear warheads.

“Pursuing this course raises serious questions over Iran's peaceful intent,” Secretary Chu said [AP, 19 September].

“Iran has continued to engage in a long-standing pattern of denial, deceit, and evasion, in violation of its nonproliferation obligations,” Secretary Chu told a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “Time and time again, Iran has refused to satisfy legitimate concerns about the nature of its nuclear program — selectively rejecting IAEA requests for access to, and information about, its nuclear facilities.”

Meanwhile, the Director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Fereidoun Abbasi, talking to reporters after Secretary Chu had criticized Iran, blamed the US and its allies for Iran’s decision to move its facility underground.

“The reasons we moved the Fordo site underground is that we want to make the Americans and their allies work tougher in order to destroy these facilities,” Abbasi said. “Why should they not give us the right in order to protect our installations? If they would not carry out so many devious actions we would establish our facilities above the ground” [IRNA, 19 September].

Iran to Grant IAEA “Full Supervision” of Its Nuclear Sites

If Sanctions Are Lifted

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Fereidoun Abbasi said in Tehran on Monday that Iran has offered IAEA “full supervision” of its nuclear activities for five years if the sanctions against Iran were lifted.

“We proposed that the agency keep Iran's nuclear program and activities under full supervision for five years provided that sanctions against Iran are lifted,” Abbasi said [ISNA, 5 September].

The IAEA has recently issued strong warnings on potential military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program, with Iran insisting on non-military nature of its program.

Under the current agreements with Iran, IAEA inspectors can visit declared nuclear sites. But since 2007 when the first of a series of sanctions started, Iran ended its implementation of the Additional Protocol to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to prevent “intrusive” inspections of its nuclear sites. Iran maintained the implementation of the Additional Protocol was voluntary. IAEA maintains that Iran could not suspend the implantation of the protocol unilaterally.

Abbasi’s remarks today on “full supervision” by IAEA apparently would allow the IAEA to resume its “intrusive” inspections for the next five years if the sanctions are lifted.

Nuclear Scientist Assassinated in Tehran

Iran on Sunday blamed the US and Israel for the killing of an Iranian scientist. Darioush Rezaienejad, 35, a university professor, was shot dead by gunmen in eastern Tehran on Saturday.

“The terrorist action by American and the Zionist regime (Israel) yesterday is another example of the level of their animosity against Iran," said Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani in a speech broadcast live on state TV [IRIB, 24 July].

Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday that Rezaienejad was a physics professor with specialty in neutron physics. ISNA said that the slain professor was an expert with link to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). Meanwhile, Fars News Agency reported that Rezaienejad was also associated with the defense ministry. Based on the reactions by Iranian officials, including Speaker Larijani, and the reports by the Iranian news agencies, the late professor apparently had a sensitive position within the country’s nuclear and defense establishment.

Rezaienejad was killed in front of his house and there are reports that his wife was also injured during the attack.

Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated in recent years. Last November, Majid Shahriari was killed in Tehran when men on motorcycles attached a bomb to his car. The current AEOI director, Fereydoon Abbasi, survived a similar assassination attempt on the same day. Another top Iranian nuclear scientist, Masoud Ali Mohammadi, was killed in a bomb blast in January 2010.

Iran to Triple Production of 20-percent Uranium

The Director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi told the country semi-official Fars News Agency on Wednesday that Iran is transferring its uranium enrichment activities from Natanz to Fardu and intends to triple the production of 20 percent enriched uranium. The West reacted with concern and the White House called on Iran to rethink its strategy. Western diplomats and officials were quoted by news agencies today that Iran would not require that volume of 20-percent enriched uranium for civilian use at its Tehran research reactor. The Iranian announcement came after the IAEA chief on Tuesday expressed concerns over intelligence reports received by his agency that indicated possible work by Iran on components of a nuclear weapon as late as last year. On Wednesday, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied the existence of a nuclear weapon program.

Iran Dismisses IAEA Report on Possible Nuclear Weapon Program

Iran has dismissed the latest IAEA report that the country may be working on a nuclear weapons program, calling it a "fabrication."

The director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereidoun Abbasi, said the report on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons' activities was based on wrongful information provided by a “few arrogant countries,” a phrase used by the Iranian officials to refer to the US and its allies. The West suspects Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.