| NEWS Iran
IAEA banned from Iran In the wake of US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites (Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan) following more than a week of attacks on those and other facilities by Israel, the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) has suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This is subject to approval by the Supreme National Security Council, which is widely expected to be given. Lawmakers agreed on the suspension, with
221 votes in favour, no votes against, and one abstention. According to the resolution, IAEA officials are not allowed to enter Iran for inspections unless the security of the country’s nuclear facilities and peaceful nuclear activities is guaranteed. Iran will refuse the installation of cameras on its nuclear facilities, inspections, and stop submitting reports to the Agency. Iranian authorities had previously stated that
the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israel’s aggression against Iran’s facilities could lead to the termination of cooperation, noting that all the facilities targeted by Israel, and subsequently by the US, were under the supervision and protection of the IAEA, which failed to prevent these attacks. Furthermore, Iranian officials and others believe the IAEA’s actions had facilitated the attacks on its facilities with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi singled out for particular criticism over his approach to the obligations and regulations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). According to this treaty, countries engaged
in peaceful nuclear activities, including enrichment, under the supervision of the agency must be protected from military attacks and threats from other countries. Even if it is assumed that a country has deviated from the agency’s regulations or is on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons, according to the agency’s legal procedures, military action against that country is not permissible; the violation must first be reported to the Board of Governors and, after examination, referred to the United Nations Security Council if necessary. Iranian Professor of Geopolitics Abdoreza
Faraji-Rad, in an article in the Tehran Times said: “Grossi acknowledged that he has had unprecedented cooperation with the agency and accepted the highest number of inspections during his tenure. Even in the weeks preceding Israel’s military attack on Iran, he stated that the Islamic Republic had not approached nuclear weapons. However, by presenting a comprehensive report containing troubling claims and ambiguities, he effectively paved the way for the adoption of a resolution by the IAEA Board of Governors and thereby played a decisive role in provoking the United States and Israel against Iran.” The IAEA’s latest update on the situation said
Grossi “stressed the need for a resumption of the IAEA’s indispensable safeguards verification work in the country following a 12-day military
conflict that severely damaged several of its nuclear sites”. In a letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Abbas Araghchi, Grossi proposed a meeting. “Resuming cooperation with the IAEA is key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities. I’ve written to Foreign Minister Araghchi stressing the importance of us working together and proposing to meet soon,” he said. According to the update: “IAEA inspectors
have remained in Iran throughout the conflict and are ready to start working as soon as possible, going back to the country’s nuclear sites and verifying the inventories of nuclear material – including more than 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60% – which they last verified a few days before the Israeli air strikes began on 13 June.” Meanwhile, there is continued confusion about the extent of the damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The US White House has distributed a statement from the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC), which said: “The devastating US strike on Fordow destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable.” Iran’s nuclear programme has now been set back “by many years” following US and Israeli strikes. The same day, however, reportedly leaked
analysis produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm, has suggested the US military strikes did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear programme and likely only set it back by months. These findings are at odds with President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the strikes ‘completely and totally obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.” According to CNN: “Two of the people familiar with the assessment said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges are largely ‘intact’. Another source said that the intelligence assessed enriched uranium was moved out of the sites prior to the US strikes. Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI)
spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said the nuclear programme will continue to expand despite the attacks on its peaceful nuclear facilities. “They must understand that this industry is rooted in our nation. They cannot uproot it. Given the capabilities and potential we possess, the growth of this industry must continue. It will not be stopped.” Iranian Vice President and head of the
AEOI, Mohammad Eslami, said Tehran had taken pre-emptive measures to restore the nuclear industry. “We have taken the necessary measures to assess the damage, and recovery measures have also been taken in advance. We have a programme in place to prevent any interruptions in production and service provision.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also
said Iran’s nuclear energy programme is “based on indigenous knowledge and cannot be eliminated by bombing”.
round up
COMPANIES STANDARD NUCLEAR HAS emerged from stealth following a funding round that raised $42m to develop advanced nuclear fuel. The funding round was led by Decisive Point with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Crucible Capital, Fundomo, and Washington Harbour Partners. Standard Nuclear is built on assets purchased at auction following the bankruptcy of the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) for $28m.
NUCLEAR FUEL US NUCLEAR FUEL technology company Lightbridge Corporation says it expects to benefit from a new testing method developed by Idaho National Laboratory. This pioneering method, known as the Fission Accelerated Steady-state Test (FAST), uses increased enrichment levels to expedite irradiation testing of fuel samples in the Advanced Test Reactor.
THE US DEPARTMENT of Energy (DOE) has approved Canada-based AtkinsRéalis, Westinghouse Government Services & Amentum and Mission Conversion Services Alliance, to proceed on the Operations & Site Mission Support Contract (OSMS) at DOE’s Portsmouth and Paducah gaseous diffusion plants. The venture has been operating and maintaining the depleted uranium hexafluoride conversion facilities for the DOE at Portsmouth Paducah since 2016.
USED FUEL
FRANCE-BASED NUCLEAR start-up newcleo and Slovak state-owned nuclear and decommissioning company JAVYS have signed a shareholder agreement to establish a Centre for Development of Spent Nuclear Fuel Utilisation as a joint venture company. This follows the signing of framework cooperation agreements with JAVYS and VUJE in January.
THE 22ND BATCH of used nuclear fuel has been removed from the storage area in Andreeva (Murmansk area). “Today, the storage facility in Andreeva Bay is the last facility containing a dangerous nuclear legacy from the Navy on the coast of the Kola Bay,” said Vasily Tinin, Rosatom’s Director of State Policy in the field of Radioactive Waste.
THE US DEPARTMENT of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have been selected to receive $3.2m in funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The funding is part of the Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimised Now (NEWTON) programme, to make the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel economically viable within 30 years.
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