Iran's continued enrichment of uranium in breach to UN resolutions is problematic because the country will have no obvious use of its rising low-enriched uranium LEU stockpile. IHS Global Insight in a note says the Islamic Republic's Russian-built Bushehr reactor comes with an integrated fuel supply from Russia and Iran is decades from constructing and bringing its first domestically built nuclear power plant online. "A favourable reading of Iran's intention is of course that it wants to build energy security and not be consistent on Russian fuel supplies, but the quickly growing LEU and low-enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile is, of course, unlikely to be seen in that light mostly by the West," senior Middle East energy analyst Samuel Ciszuk and political analyst Gala Riani said in a note, sent to Emirates 24l7.
According to a leaked report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has been able to increase its effectiveness in producing more enriched uranium despite the heightened international sanctions. Iran now has a LEU stockpile of 2,803 kg, having shaped about 995 kg between 23 November 2009 and 6 August 2010. In the last three months, the increase of the LEU stockpile is equivalent to about 15 per cent, at a time when the number of active enrichment centrifuges actually having declined somewhat since the agency's May report, from 3,936 to 3,772. While Iran, since the start of its enrichment programme's monitoring, has suffered continuous problems with its operational sustainability leading to large fluctuations in the numbers of centrifuges in operation the accelerated LEU production using less centrifuges indicates.
The total number of installed centrifuges by the end of August is now 8,856, showing that should all of those be brought into operation - for which Iran however most likely does not have sufficient uranium hexafluoride feedstock at this time - Iran's LEU or HEU manufacture could spiral significantly. Overall, the leaked document, "completion of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of Security Council resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran", reveals few secrets and its result are not surprising, IHS said. The report however shows a much harsher carriage by the agency against Iran's perennial failings to co-operate fully on inspection and continues to question the potential military aspect to the nuclear programme, IHS added. "For Iran, the report is of little consequence, as the country has frequently come under pressure from the UN agency to comply more comprehensively with its inspections regime, but has refused to change its behaviour accordingly," it said.
According to a leaked report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has been able to increase its effectiveness in producing more enriched uranium despite the heightened international sanctions. Iran now has a LEU stockpile of 2,803 kg, having shaped about 995 kg between 23 November 2009 and 6 August 2010. In the last three months, the increase of the LEU stockpile is equivalent to about 15 per cent, at a time when the number of active enrichment centrifuges actually having declined somewhat since the agency's May report, from 3,936 to 3,772. While Iran, since the start of its enrichment programme's monitoring, has suffered continuous problems with its operational sustainability leading to large fluctuations in the numbers of centrifuges in operation the accelerated LEU production using less centrifuges indicates.
The total number of installed centrifuges by the end of August is now 8,856, showing that should all of those be brought into operation - for which Iran however most likely does not have sufficient uranium hexafluoride feedstock at this time - Iran's LEU or HEU manufacture could spiral significantly. Overall, the leaked document, "completion of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of Security Council resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran", reveals few secrets and its result are not surprising, IHS said. The report however shows a much harsher carriage by the agency against Iran's perennial failings to co-operate fully on inspection and continues to question the potential military aspect to the nuclear programme, IHS added. "For Iran, the report is of little consequence, as the country has frequently come under pressure from the UN agency to comply more comprehensively with its inspections regime, but has refused to change its behaviour accordingly," it said.
No comments:
Post a Comment