Iran Accepts Increased IAEA Oversight at Fordow Nuclear Facility

According to Reuters, Iran has agreed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to have increased oversight at the Fordow nuclear facility near Qom. On Thursday, December 13, Reuters reported that the agency informed its member states that Iran accepted more oversight at Fordow. Based on a confidential report from the agency, which Reuters has seen a copy of, Iran agreed to the agency's request for 'increased frequency and intensity of safeguards implementation' at the Fordow nuclear site and is 'facilitating the implementation of this enhanced safeguards approach.' According to Reuters, Iran accepted the agency's request after three days of discussions from Monday to Wednesday (December 10 to 12). Last week, Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, announced that Iran's capacity for enriching uranium to 60% purity is 'significantly' increasing. Grossi stated, 'Iran is increasing its production of 60% enriched uranium by at least eight times.' To produce nuclear weapons, uranium enriched to 90% purity is required, and technically, 60% enrichment is a short distance from that. Iran announced the start of 60% enrichment in April 2021, and according to agency reports, this level of enrichment has occurred at both the Fordow and Natanz facilities. Reuters reports that the agency's request was for increased and intensified oversight at these two facilities, and ultimately, after three days of discussions between the two sides, Tehran accepted increased oversight at Fordow. Meanwhile, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, tweeted that Tehran is committed to its 'safeguard obligations' and will not accept oversight 'beyond the established commitments' as long as sanctions are in place. He also criticized Rafael Grossi for mentioning the 'possibility of nuclear proliferation by Iran' in a speech. According to Reuters, another section of the agency's confidential report states that Iran has informed that it has begun injecting hexafluoride gas (UF6) into two cascades of IR-2m centrifuges at the Natanz facility for 5% enrichment. However, according to this report, Iran has not yet installed the cascade consisting of 1,152 IR-6 centrifuges. Recent developments come as Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, recently referred to the possibility of activating the so-called 'snapback mechanism.' On Thursday, three European countries party to the JCPOA expressed readiness in a letter to the UN Security Council for the immediate reinstatement of all international sanctions against Iran. According to Reuters, approximately 42 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium is theoretically sufficient for producing a nuclear bomb if its concentration is increased; Iran currently possesses more than four times this amount. Iran has consistently emphasized the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. However, Western powers argue that there is no credible justification for the peaceful nature of enrichment to this level, and no other country has done so without producing nuclear weapons.