A United Nations nuclear watchdog group said Iran intends to move forward with more uranium-enriching centrifuges, breaking an agreement the country made with world powers yet again.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran will eventually install advanced cascades of centrifuges at an underground plant it operates in Natanz.
"In a letter dated December 2, 2020, Iran informed the Agency that the operator of the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz 'intends to start installation of three cascades of IR-2m centrifuge machines' at FEP," the confidential agency report said, according to Reuters.
The cascades are more advanced, an IR-2m centrifuge over an IR-1 centrifuge, than the ones that Tehran is allowed to use under the nuclear deal. The IAEA states IR-2m centrifuges have already been moved to the plant to start the process of enriching uranium.
However, it isn’t the first time Iran has breached limits agreed upon in the global nuclear deal.
The IAEA says Tehran now has a stockpile of 2.4 tonnes of enriched uranium, according to the organisation’s last report. The amount is 12 times more than what Iran is allowed to have in their nuclear programme. It’s still less than the 8 tonnes the country held before the agreement.
It poses a challenge for the new US administration under President-elect Joe Biden, starting in late January. Mr Biden has signalled he’d have the US enter the Iran nuclear deal President Donald Trump left.
Mr Biden’s pledge for the US to rejoin the pact does, however, depend on if Tehran remained true to the agreement made in 2015. Tehran claims the moves it has made regarding the country’s nuclear plan can be reversed.
Mr Trump’s current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to Mr Biden’s possible stance in a Bahrain security summit on Friday, “I think it’s fundamentally the wrong direction.”
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
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Score
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New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
