IAEA confirms Iran’s plans to produce metal uranium

“(International Atomic Energy Agency) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi today informed IAEA Member States about recent developments regarding Iran’s plans to conduct R&D activities on uranium metal production as part of its declared aim to design an improved type of fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor,” the IAEA said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Iran told the agency on Wednesday that “there is no limitation on (its) R&D activities” and “modification and installation of the relevant equipment for the mentioned R&D activities have been already started” at its Fuel Plate Fabrication Plant in Isfahan, the IAEA report said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iran’s permanent ambassador to the International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi said that the Islamic Republic has initiated the development of new fuel for the Tehran reactor.

“This activity is carried out in three stages, and in the first stage, metal uranium is produced using natural uranium,” he said, adding that the Director-General of the IAEA published a report on Wednesday and informed the member countries about the matter.

“This measure will technically place Iran among the leading countries in the production of new fuels,” he maintained.

Gharibabadi went on to say that all these steps have been notified to the Agency and the IAEA's inspectors have also visited the fuel plate factory three days ago.