World powers watch closely as Iran prepares to extract uranium at new mine
Australian News.Net Saturday 12th September, 2015
TEHRAN, Iran – The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said Saturday that an unexpectedly high reserve of uranium has been discovered in the country.
Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted by state media as saying that extracting the radioactive element at the new mine would begin soon.
The announcement casts doubt on previous assessments from some Western analysts that the country had a low uranium supply and would sooner or later would need to import the raw material needed for its nuclear program.
Any indication that Iran could become more self-sufficient will be closely watched by the P51 group of countries, which reached a landmark deal with Tehran in July over its program.
The US, UK, Germany, France, Russia and China had feared the nuclear activities were aimed at acquiring the capability to produce atomic weapons, which Tehran has repeatedly denied.
“I cannot announce (the level of) Iran’s uranium mine reserves. The important thing is that before aerial prospecting for uranium ores we were not too optimistic, but the new discoveries have made us confident about our reserves,” Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Saturday.
Salehi said uranium exploration had covered almost two-thirds of Iran and would be complete before the end of the decade.
Uranium is used for civilian power production and scientific purposes, but is also a key ingredient in nuclear weapons.
The July deal between Iran and world powers will see international sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for at least a decade of curbs on the country’s nuclear activity and greater access to inspection of its nuclear activities.
Iran, which has consistently said its program is for peaceful purposes, has achieved a full nuclear fuel cycle after decades of research and development.
The country can now perform the full cycle from the extraction of uranium ore to enrichment and production of fuel rods for nuclear reactors.
Sanctions on companies taking part in Iran’s uranium mining industry will be lifted when the nuclear agreement is implemented.
Salehi said uranium extraction was set to begin at a new mine in the central province of Yazd,
according to IRNA, although no further details were given.
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