![]() ![]() In the enrichment process, uranium gas is pumped through a series of centrifuges and spun at supersonic speeds to remove impurities. Security Council has imposed three rounds of financial sanctions on Iran over the enrichment dispute, but Tehran has refused to suspend that work. Once the fuel is loaded, the equipment will be tested.Īghazadeh said the test was going well and engineers told him they expected no problems. The test fuel consists of lead, which imitates the density of enriched uranium. In the first stage of the test, technicians began 10 days ago loading "virtual fuel" into the reactor. "We do not take any option off the table regarding to Iran's nuclear program," he said. He called for "harsh sanctions" and a "willingness to consider other options" if sanctions don't succeed - a reference to military action. ![]() Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that "time is slipping through our fingers" in preventing Iran from developing a weapon. In Israel, which has been one of the most vocal nations accusing Iran of seeking to develop atomic weapons, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the tests at Bushehr "should be understood as very bad news for the whole of the international community" because it shows Iran's nuclear program is progressing. Iranian officials on Wednesday claimed further progress in expanding the uranium enrichment program, saying the number of centrifuges operating at its enrichment plant has increased to 6,000, up from 5,000 in November. It says relying on imported fuel for its entire reactor program would leave it vulnerable to cutoffs as political pressure. Iran denies it is seeking to build atomic weapons, and says it has a right to produce its own fuel for several nuclear power plants it plans to build. and other countries have demanded that Iran suspend enrichment because the process not only can produce fuel for a reactor, but can be used to develop highly enriched uranium needed to make nuclear bombs. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |