Iran Able to Produce Isotopes If Russians Back Off

Date: 09 December 2019 - 21:47

News ID: ۷۳۷۳۱

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran believes Russia will continue to cooperate on production of isotopes at Fordow nuclear facility, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Monday.
"We can technically continue the work related to the production of stable isotopes without the Russians; however, politically-speaking, it would be better if Russians stayed with us” on the project, he said.
"We are sure that the Russians will not abandon their projects in Iran in the wake of U.S. sanctions, because they are currently involved in the construction of Bushehr-2 and -3 power plants,” Kamalvandi added.
Rosatom’s nuclear fuel cycle unit TVEL said on Thursday the Russian state nuclear company had suspended work on revamping a factory at Iran’s Fordow nuclear complex due to an issue with uranium compatibility.
"Uranium enrichment and the production of stable isotopes cannot be carried out in the same room,” TVEL said in a statement, adding that it was "technologically impossible” to implement the project at this time.
The announcement sparked speculation that Washington’s decision last month to cease waiving punitive sanctions related to the Fordow plant had prompted the decision.
Russian officials, however, denied it and reiterated their commitment to carry out the project once the technical issues were sorted out.
TVEL specialists have been working on a project since 2017 to modify centrifuge cascades to produce two stable isotopes that can be used for medicinal purposes.
The company says traces of uranium in the air and on the equipment have thwarted their work.
"To resume this work, we must stop and dismantle the cascades, where uranium enrichment takes place and thoroughly clean the premises and equipment,” said TVEL, which specializes in uranium mining and production of nuclear fuel.
"Until these conditions are met, works on the project from the Russian side are suspended,” it said on Thursday.