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IAEA: Fourth Centrifuge Cascade Operating To Enrich Uranium At Natanz

IRAN

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report has stated the Iran has begun to enrich uranium with a fourth cascade of centrifuges at its nuclear plant at Natanz.

  • The addition of another cascade (the term for a flow of centrifuges that enrich natural uranium hexafluoride to fuel or potentially weapons grade) is in breach of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA, the Iran nuclear deal), and could be seen as a further provocation to the US to lift its sanctions on Iran and return to the negotiating table.
  • Over the weekend Tehran signed a long-term strategic agreement with China, intended to guide the two countries' relations over the coming 25 years. This in turn could see China investing more in Iran, and purchasing increased amounts of Iranian oil, thereby reducing the economic effectiveness of US sanctions on trying to force Iran back into compliance on the JCPoA.

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