TEHERAN – Iran’s ambassador to Vienna-based international organizations announced on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic will soon be producing enriched uranium metal for the Tehran research reactor.
Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran had previously notified the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency of the move.
The uranium silicide plate is enriched to 20 percent purity.
“Research and development on this topic with natural uranium began about three months ago. The new process will produce a new fuel plate with 20 percent enriched uranium, ”Gharibabadi told reporters.
“This measure, which will significantly improve the quality and quantity of radiopharmaceutical production, will make the Islamic Republic of Iran one of the leading countries in the field of nuclear technology,” added the Iranian diplomat, according to Press TV.
Gharibabad he said The IAEA had been informed of Iran’s move nine days earlier, and operations began immediately afterwards.
Gharibabadi described the silicide slab as a modern nuclear fuel, the technology of which is only available to a handful of countries.
The IAEA said in a statement Tuesday that Iran intends to use domestically enriched uranium (U-235) of 20 percent purity as fuel in the Tehran reactor.
“Today Iran informed the agency that UO2 (uranium oxide) enriched with up to 20% U-235 would be shipped to the research and development laboratory at a facility in Esfahan, where it would be converted to UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) and then to uranium metal Enriched to 20% U-235 before it is used to make the fuel, “the statement said.
The IAEA also said the process would be a multi-step action, suggesting it would take a long time to complete.
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