Iran Converts More of Its Uranium Reserves to Fuel

Reuters reports, citing a diplomatic source, that Iran is converting more of its enriched uranium into reactor fuel under a temporary nuclear agreement with world powers. This reduces the potential for using these materials in nuclear bomb production. Based on the six-month Geneva agreement reached on November 24, 2013, Iran agreed to either dilute its 20% enriched uranium reserves or convert them into fuel rods. Following the extension of this agreement for another four months in July of this year, Iran agreed to convert an additional 25 kilograms of its more enriched uranium oxide into nuclear fuel. This amount represents one-quarter of Iran's total uranium oxide reserves. The diplomatic source who spoke with Reuters on Monday, December 1, added that under the seven-month extension of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the P5+1, reached on December 1, the Islamic Republic has agreed to convert an additional five kilograms of its uranium oxide reserves into nuclear fuel each month. Reuters also reported, citing a U.S. official who spoke on the matter in July, that converting oxide to fuel plates for use in Tehran's research reactor makes it 'really harder and more time-consuming' for the Islamic Republic to reuse it for nuclear weapon production. The International Atomic Energy Agency announced in November that Iran's reserves of 5% enriched uranium have reached 8.4 tons, although Reuters later reported that the agency corrected this figure to 8,290 kilograms. The amount of Iran's enriched uranium reserves is among the central topics in discussions regarding Tehran's nuclear program. A year after the Geneva agreement, Iran, the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia decided to continue their negotiations for another seven months to resolve the Islamic Republic's nuclear file. In this context, Netanyahu welcomed the failure to reach a nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1, while Fabius stated that progress had been made in the uranium enrichment dispute. The agency noted that more funding is needed to monitor the extended agreement with Iran. Iran's obstruction of human rights and missile program issues in the Vienna negotiations is also highlighted.