logo

UN nuclear watchdog finds Iran in breach of non-proliferation duties

The Nationala day ago

The UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday formally declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years, diplomats at the closed-door meeting told Reuters.
"[The board] finds that Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the agency with full and timely co-operation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its safeguards agreement with the agency," the International Atomic Energy Agency board resolution states, according to Reuters.
The decision is the latest development amid rising tension between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme. It comes after Washington announced it was preparing to evacuate personnel from its embassy in Baghdad and regional bases, and as nuclear talks between the countries appear at an impasse.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Iran's nuclear facilities explained: What's at stake after the Israeli strikes?
Iran's nuclear facilities explained: What's at stake after the Israeli strikes?

Khaleej Times

time10 minutes ago

  • Khaleej Times

Iran's nuclear facilities explained: What's at stake after the Israeli strikes?

Before Israeli strikes on Friday, Washington and Tehran had held several rounds of talks on Iran's nuclear programme, as concerns mounted about its rapid expansion. Iran has significantly ramped up its nuclear programme in recent years, after a landmark deal with world powers curbing its nuclear activities in exchange for sanction relief began to unravel in 2018 when the United States unilaterally withdrew. As of mid-May, Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile was estimated at 9,247.6 kilograms — or more than 45 times the limit set out in the 2015 deal — according to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Among its stockpiles, Iran has an estimated 408.6kg enriched to up to 60 percent — just a short step from the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. The country now theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for about 10 nuclear bombs, according to the definition by the Vienna-based IAEA. But Iran has always denied any ambition to develop nuclear weapons. Below is a list of Iran's key nuclear sites, which are subject to regular inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog: Uranium enrichment plants Natanz About 250km (150 miles) south of Tehran, Natanz is Iran's heavily bunkered main uranium enrichment site, whose existence was first revealed in 2002. Natanz operates nearly 70 cascades of centrifuges at its two enrichment plants, one of which is underground. A cascade is a series of centrifuges -- machines used in the process of enriching uranium. In April 2021, the site was damaged in an attack that Iran said was an act of sabotage by Israel. On Friday, Israel's operation struck at the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", targeting the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. IAEA head Rafael Grossi confirmed the Natanz site was "among targets". Fordo Secretly built in violation of United Nations resolutions under a mountain near the holy central city of Qom, Fordo was first publicly revealed in 2009. Initially described as an "emergency" facility built underground to protect it from potential air attacks, Iran later indicated it was an enrichment plant capable of housing about 3,000 centrifuges. In 2023, uranium particles enriched up to 83.7 percent were discovered at the Fordo plant, which Iran claimed were the product of "unintended fluctuations" during the enrichment process. Uranium conversion and research reactors Isfahan At the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan in central Iran, raw mined uranium is processed into uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) and then into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), a feed gas for centrifuges. The plant was industrially tested in 2004 upon its completion. The Isfahan centre also harbours a nuclear fuel fabrication facility, which was inaugurated in 2009 and produces low-enriched fuel for use in power plants. In July 2022, Iran announced plans to construct a new research reactor there. Arak Work on the Arak heavy-water research reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of the 2015 deal. Iran has meanwhile informed the IAEA about its plans to commission the reactor by 2026. The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research and the site includes a production plant for heavy water. Tehran The Tehran nuclear research centre houses a reactor that was supplied by the United States in 1967 for the production of medical radioisotopes. Nuclear power plant Bushehr Iran's only nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr was built by Russia and began operating at a lower capacity in 2011 before being plugged into the national power grid in 2012. Russia continues to deliver nuclear fuel for the plant, which remains under IAEA control. A German company began construction on the plant with a 1,000-megawatt nominal capacity until the project was halted in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Moscow later completed it. Darkhovin and Sirik Iran began construction in late 2022 on a 300-megawatt power plant in Darkhovin, in the country's southwest. In early 2024, it also began work in Sirik, in the Strait of Hormuz, on a new complex of four individual plants with a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts.

Precision missiles and waves of bombers used in Israeli nuclear 'decapitation' raids
Precision missiles and waves of bombers used in Israeli nuclear 'decapitation' raids

The National

time14 minutes ago

  • The National

Precision missiles and waves of bombers used in Israeli nuclear 'decapitation' raids

Without the powerful bombs needed to penetrate Iran's mountain plants, Israel appears in its first wave of attacks to have gone for the regime's leading nuclear scientists and military commanders. A series of precision strikes have hit downtown Tehran taking out specific floors on an apartment block, probably using its Rampage long-range missiles that carry a 570kg warhead or the SkySniper air-to-surface missile with a range of 250km. Israel has also gone for Iran's nuclear sites, likely using its biggest deployable munition, the GBU-28 1,800 kg 'bunker buster' and the laser guided GBU-27 Paveway III 900kg weapon. The ordnance was delivered by 200 fighter-bomber aircraft likely comprising the stealthy F-35, then a selection of F-15 and F18s jets that can all carry a significant payload. However, the Israeli air force does not have the heavy bombers possessed by America that are the only aircraft capable of carrying the 13,600kg GBU-57 'massive ordnance penetrator' (MOP) designed to pierce 60 metres of reinforced concrete. Decapitation mission Without that capability Israel has gone for what appears to be a 'decapitation strategy' in which it has aimed for key regime figures. Open source intelligence points to several addresses that have been hit in Tehran where senior personnel were probably asleep when their homes were struck, including at Langari Street and Patrice Lumumba Street in Tehran. Iranian media confirmed that nuclear scientist Fereydoun Abbasi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, and Iranian physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University Mohammad Mehdi ehranchi have both been killed. In addition, Israel killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps chief Maj Gen Hossein Salami and Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, in addition to other senior officers. 'The breadth and scale of these strikes – against senior Iranian officials in addition to nuclear sites – suggest this operation is intended to not just dissuade Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, but also cripple any potential military response and even to destabilise the regime,' said Matthew Savill, director of military science at the Rusi think tank. He added that the size of the force represents the 'overwhelming bulk' of Israel's longer-range strike aircraft but added that, while they had the ability to conduct multiple rounds of strikes, operating for an extended duration 'will stretch even the Israeli Air Force'. Unconfirmed reports state explosions at key Iranian sites in Qom, Markazi, Kermanshah, and Hamadan provinces, with the Natanz nuclear plant, most of it buried 50 metres below ground, also hit. The Israelis also likely deployed a number of AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) anti-radar missiles to take out Iran's air defence systems. However, given that there were no reported Israeli losses, it appears that its earlier retaliatory strike in October that largely struck Iran's surface-to-air system and ballistic missile factories has had a lasting impact. It is also likely that many attacks were conducted at long range keep aircraft away from air defences. The precise strikes also demonstrate that Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, still has significant assets in Iran providing it with key information. US deception An Israeli security source told The National that the operation was a 'deliberate targeted destruction of Iran's C2', using the military reference for command and control. 'This night has been one of utter regime decapitation and has strong regime change connotations,' he added. It is also understood that the US played a key deception role in the attacks by allowing the Iranians to believe that there would be another round of nuclear agreement negotiations commencing on Sunday. This would likely have caught senior Iranian commanders off guard believing that Israel would not strike if this hindered the possibility of a diplomatic outcome. It can be assumed that Washington was convinced that Iran was dragging out talks without agreeing to concede on its uranium enrichment. The attack also came a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution against Iran for the first time in 20 years stating the country had consistently failed to provide information on 'undeclared nuclear material and activities' at 'multiple undeclared locations'. While the US for now appears to remain out of the conflict, satellite imagery last month showed a force of heavy bombers consisting of six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and four B-52s that are both capable of carrying GBU-57 bombs.

After Israel strikes Iran, airlines divert flights, airspace closed
After Israel strikes Iran, airlines divert flights, airspace closed

Zawya

time15 minutes ago

  • Zawya

After Israel strikes Iran, airlines divert flights, airspace closed

Airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan on Friday after Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran, Flightradar24 data showed, with carriers scrambling to divert and cancel flights to keep passengers and crew safe. Proliferating conflict zones around the world are becoming an increasing burden on airline operations and profitability, and more of a safety concern. Six commercial aircraft have been shot down unintentionally and three nearly missed since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions. Israel on Friday said it targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel's air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran. Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel and was moving some of its planes out of the country. Israeli carrier Israir said it was evacuating its planes from Tel Aviv's airport, which it said was expected to remain closed through the weekend. Many global airlines had already halted flights to and from Tel Aviv after a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels towards Israel on May 4 landed near the airport. Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, according to state media and notices to pilots. As reports of strikes on Iran emerged, a number of commercial flights by airlines including Dubai's Emirates, Lufthansa and Air India were flying over Iran. Air India, which overflies Iran for its Europe and North American flights, said several flights were being diverted or returned to their origin, including ones from New York, Vancouver, Chicago and London. Lufthansa said its flights to Tehran have been suspended until further notice, and it would avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace for the time being. Emirates, which cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran after Israel's attack, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iraq early on Friday closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported. Eastern Iraq near the border with Iran contains one of the world's busiest air corridors, with dozens of flights crossing between Europe and the Gulf, many on routes from Asia to Europe, at any one moment. Jordan, which sits between Israel and Iraq, closed its airspace several hours after the Israeli campaign began. FLIGHT DIVERSIONS "Traffic is now diverting either south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, or north via Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan," according to Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information. Flights from six airlines including Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines were diverted to Baku, Azerbaijan according to its Heydar Aliyev International Airport. An Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai was diverted to Istanbul and a flydubai flight from Belgrade diverted to Yerevan, Armenia. Budget carrier flydubai said it had suspended flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran and Israel and a number of other flights had been cancelled, rerouted or returned to their departure airports. Qatar Airways cancelled its two scheduled flights to Damascus on Friday, Flightradar24 data shows. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East since October 2023 led to commercial aviation sharing the skies with short-notice barrages of drones and missiles across major flight paths – some of which were reportedly close enough to be seen by pilots and passengers. Airspace in the Middle East last year was crossed daily by 1,400 flights to and from Europe, Eurocontrol data show. Last year, planes were shot down by weaponry in Kazakhstan and in Sudan. These incidents followed the high-profile downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 and of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 en route from Tehran in 2020. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Additional reporting by Steven Scheer and Christoph Steitz; Editing by Jamie Freed)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store