Iran's Request to Purchase 1,000 Tons of Yellowcake 'Awaiting British Approval'

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization announced that the Islamic Republic has referred a request to purchase 950 tons of yellowcake from Kazakhstan to the secretariat of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, and the implementation of this agreement is only awaiting Britain's approval. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of this organization, stated in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) published on Saturday, March 7, that Iran has referred its request to purchase 950 tons of yellowcake from Kazakhstan over a period of three years to the secretariat of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA. He mentioned that if this agreement is executed, 300 tons of this yellowcake will be converted to UF-6 gas and sold back to Kazakhstan. According to Salehi, the 5+1 countries had given their 'written' consent to the secretariat of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, but Britain 'changed its opinion at the last moment due to the US elections and Middle Eastern issues,' and Iran is waiting for this country’s response. Yellowcake refers to concentrated uranium oxide used for uranium enrichment. In the last days of the previous calendar year, Kazakhstan exported 60 tons of yellowcake to Iran, which was part of the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers to remove Iran's enriched uranium reserves abroad and receive yellowcake for nuclear fuel production. In the early days of the previous month, Iran, with the help of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Norway, exported 11 tons of enriched uranium to Russia and received 197 tons of yellowcake in return. Meanwhile, Salehi announced that with the arrival of the last shipment of the 149-ton yellowcake purchased from Russia, the total amount of yellowcake imported to Iran in the past year has reached approximately 382 tons. He also stated that in the year 1396 (2017), yellowcake production in Iran would increase 'several times.' The arrival of 149 tons of yellowcake purchased from Russia began on January 27 and the last shipment arrived in Iran on Tuesday, February 7. The Vienna nuclear agreement allows Iran to import yellowcake, and according to foreign ministry officials, the yellowcake import last year was the first since the 1979 revolution. The last yellowcake import before the revolution was from South Africa. Under the Vienna nuclear agreement, Iran is only allowed to possess low-enriched uranium, which is unsuitable for making nuclear weapons, and this low-enriched uranium must never exceed 300 kilograms in Iran. In this context, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Friday, March 6, in its latest report on Iran's nuclear program that the amount of enriched uranium reserves in Tehran is below the permissible limit in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran's representative to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, stated that the new report from the agency's head indicates that 'all of Iran's nuclear activities are proceeding within the framework of the JCPOA.' According to Najafi, the most significant development mentioned in this report is the injection of gas into the IR-8 centrifuge, which 'confirms the continuation of Iran's research and development activities' in accordance with the announced long-term plan. He emphasized that this report is similar to the previous report, with only technical developments added since the last report. Najafi noted that the import of the first five-kilogram shipment of 20% enriched uranium for use in the Tehran reactor, the acceptance of new agency inspectors, and the import of 125 tons of yellowcake are among other sections of this report. The recent IAEA report to the Board of Governors is the first report from the agency since Donald Trump, a staunch critic of this agreement, took office as President of the United States. The report adds that Iran has also complied with restrictions regarding the possession of sensitive materials. The agency reported in its November report that Iran's heavy water reserves had slightly exceeded the set limit for it. Since then, Iran has reduced its reserves in this regard, and according to the IAEA's report on Friday, it has brought it down to 124 tons. The set limit for Iran's heavy water reserves is 130 tons.